Chicago City Wire

The Illinois Freedom Caucus has expressed concerns about Chicago’s ability to address its $500 million budget shortfall while funding the resettlement of illegal immigrants in the city.

Meanwhile, recent polling shows an overwhelming majority of Chicagoans believe funds should go towards needy citizens first.

“The Mayor is going to have a hard time making up for his $500 Million Budget Shortfall when the City continues to bleed out its funds for illegal immigrants,” the Illinois Freedom Caucus said on Facebook.

A recent poll indicates growing opposition to Chicago’s “sanctuary city” status, which relaxes local enforcement of federal immigration laws, The Center Square reported.

The survey reveals that while whites in Chicago are in favor of maintaining sanctuary city policies, non-whites, including Hispanics and Blacks, largely support ending the practice, with Black Chicagoans showing a significant preference for its termination.

The poll, conducted by Matthew Podgorski at M3 Strategies, revealed a deep divide among Chicago voters regarding the city’s response to the new migrant situation.

The survey, conducted between Oct. 1 and 3, included 659 likely Chicago voters and highlighted several key findings that indicate the city’s growing migrant crisis has stirred controversy and contrasting perspectives.

A significant majority of voters, approximately 70%, believe that Chicago’s focus on housing new migrants negatively affects current residents in need.

This sentiment transcends partisan and demographic lines, with a substantial portion of Democrats, women, Black, Hispanic, and South and West side voters sharing this concern.

Last week Mayor Brandon Johnson provided further details of his budget plan in a virtual briefing, aiming to close a substantial budget gap without increasing taxes while making significant investments in supporting Chicagoans in need, according to ABC7 Chicago.

However, questions have arisen about the adequacy of funds allocated for the migrant crisis, given that the city has spent around $65 million through mid-September 2023, and Johnson’s budget sets aside only $150 million for the crisis in 2024, with potential reliance on state and federal aid to address the shortfall, which has prompted concerns from community-based organizations and advocacy groups.