In Chicago, a $70 million proposal to address the migrant crisis has sparked a debate, with some residents expressing frustration over what they see as misplaced priorities. In response to backlash, the city has now begun to limit some accommodations for migrants.
“$70 million, y’all won’t even put a million dollars in one neighborhood,” Michael Young Bay, a Chicago resident, said.
“We need that money in my neighborhood. We need that on my block,” Chicago resident “P-Rae” Easley said.
Easley added that “the city of Chicago has millions upon millions of dollars to give to people who ain’t [sic] paid a dime into the tax-base.”
City officials have allocated more than $300 million to assist over 38,000 migrants, covering areas such as health care, housing and education. However, this swift allocation of money has caused frustration within minority communities, particularly Black Chicagoans, who feel neglected by the city.
“There’s homelessness and houselessness at a high rate, and money is being found for those that are just getting here,” Reverend Chauncey D. Brown of Second Baptist Church said. “But what about those who have been living in neighborhoods that have been stripped of banks, stripped of grocery stores, stripped of quality education? And all of a sudden there is a group that is coming in and it’s causing animosity between the citizens and the new generation of people that are coming in.”
Black Chicagoans point to what they see as a symbol of the local government’s indifference. Over a decade ago, the city closed Wadsworth Elementary, a school that served a largely Black neighborhood. Last year, Chicago reopened it to shelter hundreds of migrants, but no community input was sought.
Richard Wallace, the executive director of Equity and Transformation, said that the wants of Black Chicagoans are not taking away from the needs of others.
“When Black people say we want parks that doesn’t mean that we don’t want x for migrants,” Wallace said.
He contends that the “conflating” of issues is part of the problem.
Chicago is beginning to limit some accommodations for migrants, however, that decision received its own criticism. In March, the city evicted migrants who overstayed a 60-day limit at shelters. Immigration rights groups condemned the move and residents cited safety concerns.
However, some say that the city was put in a difficult situation to begin with.
“The thousands of migrants that are being shipped to Democratic-led cities with African American mayors being pawned on to underserved communities is unfair to both the communities, but also unfair to the humanity that is forced into these neighborhoods, dropped off at police stations, dropped off in the middle of underserved neighborhoods,” Brown said.