Chicago City Wire

Illinois' 26th District House candidate Audrey Barrett has voiced strong concerns over the displacement of American children from schools to accommodate illegal immigrants, citing examples such as Brooklyn, New York, where Madison School students were evicted to make room for “emergency housing” for hundreds of undocumented individuals. Barrett’s comments were shared on Facebook, highlighting the challenges faced by children who are now forced to return to remote learning amid the ongoing crisis.

“They advised the parents until further notice the children would return to conditions as they have before under the Covid crisis so that they learn remotely,” Barrett said. “This means these children will be taken away from direct teaching, sports, breakfast, and lunch programs and away from their friends.”

“If you remember when this happened before, it led to a rise in children’s suicidal deaths.”

“America is a nation that has welcomed its arms time and time again to help others,” Barrett said on Facebook. “We have fought many wars in defense of many nations and freedom.”

“We provide aid to other countries to eliminate hunger. Furthermore, we welcome immigrants into this country, however, it must be done legally.”

According to Barrett, the liberal Democratic agenda has allegedly caused a surge in illegal immigration, claiming that 375,000 illegals are entering the U.S. monthly due to lax enforcement. Barrett predicts that by the end of President Joe Biden's term, there will be 18 million illegal immigrants, raising concerns about competition for jobs, housing, entitlements, schools, college, and healthcare. She points to Chicago’s plans to house undocumented immigrants in CPS schools, a move she believes will cost the city and state/federal government significantly. Barrett urges a shift towards "American First" policies and encourages voting Republican in 2024.

Meanwhile, Illinois is struggling with the impact of nearly 30,000 migrants arriving since August 2022. Taxpayer funds have amounted to almost $700 million over the past year. State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) recently visited the southern U.S. border and has called on the Biden administration to take decisive action. According to a news release, he described his experience in Texas as "eye-opening" and called for border closure.

Halbrook reported on his visit saying, "This area is seeing thousands of migrants a day cross the river." He added, "One of the other stops we went to was just east of town, which was a pecan farm town; this was a stunning stop to see how they are crossing the rivers." He stressed that urgent legislative intervention is needed as Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his 18th disaster proclamation to address the ongoing crisis.

Barrett's comments come at a time when there has been a significant increase in illegal immigrant drop-offs in Illinois since Dec. 22. Reports suggest that up to 800 undocumented immigrants have been dropped off in one day alone. This surge coincides with Chicago’s implementation of fines and threats to impound buses dropping off immigrants within city limits without compliance—a situation discussed at a recent Hinsdale Village Board meeting where officials predicted continued drop-offs through March. The need for enhanced border security measures has been underscored given these developments.