As Chicago prepares to host the Democratic National Convention next year, the issue of migrants being bused from border states to areas that have declared themselves "sanctuary cities" is causing a major crisis for the city.
Chicago, according to Politico, has seen busloads of migrants per week — sometimes as many as 60 busloads. The outlet reported that the topic of bused-in migrants is coming up in convention planning meetings, saying that the mayor's office is in the process of identifying occasions to build tent camps to accommodate the arrivals, with the goal of getting them off the floors of public spaces before the winter starts.
The influx of migrants is also causing concerns regarding security planning for the convention. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, said he is "confident" that local official can handle the migrants who come as long as they receive enough federal support.
"We will manage it, but we need to have the city and the state working together," he said. "We need the federal government at the table here."
Pritzker told CBS recently, "Someone needs to work in Texas with these border politicians to have them stop sending people only to blue cities and blue states."
The constant flow of migrants also potentially highlights a major political issue for the convention, considering that the influx is causing issues that convention planners have to strategize about.
The office of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is trying to get the situation under control now so it doesn't become a political issue at the convention and has sent a delegation to Texas border towns in order to "understand the process of moving migrants across the country," Politico reported.
"I don't know if it's a concern or just an additional challenge that we know that we're going to have to deal with," said Richard Guidice, Johnson's chief of staff. "Optically, you certainly want to show Chicago in its best light. As part of the process, you identify all things that potentially could happen in any large-scale event."
Guidice is helping to manage the convention's behind-the-scenes logistical planning.
Neither city nor state budgets have the surpluses needed to make areas livable for the migrants, in terms of making inhabitable structures livable and getting the migrants off the floors of public areas before winter.
"It's expensive. But there is potentially a pathway to being able to manage the influx," said Jason Lee, the mayor's chief adviser.
Having extra people coming into the city constantly also creates a "major security issue," Lee said.
However, the convention planners said in a joint statement that "the convention team supports the efforts of city and state officials working around the clock to ensure that migrants being sent to Chicago are treated with the dignity and respect that all human beings deserve," dismissing the notion that busing in migrants will cause embarrassment or disruption.
A team from the Department of Homeland Security visited Chicago recently to assess the situation, and is "is working with Chicago officials to assess the current migrant situation and identify ways that the city and the federal government can improve efficiencies and maximize resources," Politico reported.
Jeremy Frankel ✉
Jeremy Frankel is a Newsmax writer reporting on news and politics.
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