CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson is planning to ask Chicago City Council for $70 million in funding to help prepare for an anticipated influx of migrants arriving ahead of the Democratic National Convention in August.
Johnson spoke at a public safety event in the city Friday night, where the mayor was asked about additional funding as a means to prepare for a spike in migrants sent to the city from Texas.
“As everyone in the room knows we have a governor in the state of Texas that’s determined to create chaos,” Johnson said. “We anticipate that the governor of Texas will continue his tirade against this country.”
Since that public speaking engagement, WGN News has confirmed that Johnson now plans to ask City Council for that $70 million.
“Part of my budget structure we put together some reserves in the event of an expedited flow of more migrants,” Johnson said.
Senator Dick Durbin announced federal aid is also coming to help states with new arrivals Friday.
In a release, Durbin said FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security are releasing the first installments of congressionally-approved funds, with $20 million set to be split equally between the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois.
“First of all, these are human beings. They deserve to be treated with humanity and care,” said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker. “For those who complain about the expenditure being made, let’s be clear, these are basic needs people are getting. Nobody is getting fancy luxuries out of this. People arriving just need a helping hand.”
It is not clear at this time when Johnson will bring a proposal to the floor of City Council for them to vote on approving $70 million to go toward helping migrant new arrivals.