CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Chicago remains in a state of emergency over the migrant crisis as the city’s new mayor is sworn in Monday.
One of Lori Lightfoot’s final acts as Chicago’s mayor was issuing a state of emergency over the migrant crisis. Now, this all falls on Chicago’s new mayor, Brandon Johnson, as he takes his oath of office Monday morning.
Lightfoot said the city has provided emergency care for more than 8,000 migrants since August alone. And more are on their way to the city as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is busing thousands of migrants to major Democrat-run sanctuary cities including New York City, Chicago and Washington D.C.
“The city of Chicago is in the midst of a national humanitarian crisis, and through a unified effort in accordance with its values as a welcoming city, Chicago is doing everything it can to respond to the urgency of this matter,” Lightfoot’s statement said.
In her emergency proclamation, Lightfoot warned the crisis will likely deepen before it gets better. She had even pleaded with Abbott to stop sending migrants as the city was over capacity.
Johnson, a Progressive who once called for defunding the police, has yet to announce an official plan to address the city’s migrant crisis. However, he did say he was calling for more state and federal resources to help as migrants have been sheltering in Chicago Police Departments.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul wrote to President Joe Biden on Friday, asking for the federal government to build shelters on federal land.
“I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state,” she wrote to Biden.
Hochul said New York City’s shelter system has already exceeded capacity, with nearly 37,000 migrants now sheltering at 120 locations.
Despite pleas from Democratic city politicians, Abbott said he plans to keep sending migrants to sanctuary cities until the president secures the border.