CHICAGO (NewsNation) — Some migrants in Chicago will soon be able to receive expedited work permits from the Biden administration.
The Chicago Tribune reports the pilot program will serve about 150 migrants per day via a one-stop work authorization clinic. The project, which is under the administration’s Resurrection Project, is expected to be expanded in the coming days to help migrants deal with housing and employment.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnston and the other mayors were in Washington in early November to ask for the work authorizations. They also pitched a collaborative approach to managing migrants, mirroring how Ukrainian refugees were settled.
Johnston said many people are in shelters and straining budgets because they lack the ability to work. If they could work, the cities would require less federal aid to help house them.
“I think they seem receptive,” Johnston said of federal officials. “I know none of it’s simple. But I do know they are open to ideas and they see the merit of the concept.”
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the discussion was productive and officials were working on accelerating work permits.
More than 20,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since last year, largely under the direction of Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
More than 3,000 migrants are living inside airports and police stations while they await shelter placements, including in park district field houses, although some have moved into tents in adjacent streets and vacant lots due to overcrowding. The end goal, officials say, is permanent independent housing.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.