National Guard to assist migrant welcoming effort as Pritzker declares disaster
By JERRY NOWICKI
Capitol News Illinois
jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker said Wednesday that Illinois will continue to welcome migrants bused here from Texas as he blasted that state’s governor for relocating them to other cities without sharing information or providing resources.
Pritzker said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his agencies have been providing little notice for incoming migrants and has not responded to calls from Illinois’ agency heads. That’s meant Illinois has had “between three and 24 hours to find shelter for potentially 100 or more people.”
He said that has led to “a needlessly last-minute and complex process that is a heartless display of politics over people.”
“Let me be clear, while other states may be treating these vulnerable families as pawns, here in Illinois, we are treating them as people,” he said. “And when a person comes urgently seeking help, here in Illinois, we offer them a helping hand.”
Pritzker will deploy 75 National Guard members to aid with logistics and will issue a disaster proclamation aimed at expediting the flow of resources. The proclamation enables the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and other state agencies to work with local governments to help migrants access transportation, emergency shelter, food, health screenings, medical assessments, treatments and other care.
Pritzker said the migrants are residing in the U.S. legally through the asylum-seeking process. They’re often fleeing dangerous situations, mostly from Central and South America, and they receive facial and fingerprint scans at the U.S. border that are “cross-checked against terrorist watch lists and criminal databases.”
“They have traveled for months, most often without enough food or medicine or support,” he said. “Many have literally walked from Venezuela to the U.S. border, seeking safety for themselves and for their families. These are people who have not been accused of doing anything wrong.”
Illinois Department of Human Services Secretary Grace Hou said an 11th bus arrived early Wednesday. It brought the total number of migrants arriving in Illinois over the past two weeks to more than 500. Buses are arriving daily, Pritzker said.
“I have said to our team, we live in a state where our leaders are committed to providing a dignified welcome to our state,” Hou said. “That is not the question. The question is how we do it when the process is intentionally designed to cause confusion and utter chaos.”
Hou said when unannounced migrants arrive, Illinois officials have to “scramble” to provide for the basic needs of babies, pregnant women, children, teens, adults and older people. That includes ensuring access to housing, food, baby formula and health care.
“We’ve seen pregnant women literally ready to give birth who have been provided next to no support on the buses. Babies, elders, who continue to be treated in a callous manner until they get to the city of Chicago,” Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said.
Pritzker said the state hears about arrivals only by unofficial means, such as Texas nonprofit organizations whose only information is that “they’ve just literally watched the bus drive by.” He called on Abbott to provide better notice.
Abbott launched the program in April when he issued a memo directing the state’s Department of Emergency Management “to begin coordinating the voluntary transportation” of immigrants who had been released from federal custody.
“President Biden’s inaction at our southern border continues putting the lives of Texans – and Americans – at risk and is overwhelming our communities,” Abbott said in an Aug. 31 statement. “To continue providing much-needed relief to our small, overrun border towns, Chicago will join fellow sanctuary cities Washington, D.C., and New York City as an additional drop-off location.”
Hou said the other cities have warned that “this will not relent.”
Pritzker said once migrants arrive, city and state staff work with state-funded welcoming centers and nonprofits such as Catholic Charities and Salvation Army to “triage and determine their immediate needs, prioritizing infants, children, seniors and families.”
He and local lawmakers characterized the migrant situation as a national problem. Lightfoot said the situation in Chicago is a “manufactured crisis.”
“The normal lines of communication that we have with state leaders, particularly when it comes to issues of emergency management or law enforcement, (Abbott) has shut those off from us. So it is a manufactured crisis by ambush to be very clear,” she said.
Pritzker said Illinois is seeking federal help and his staff has been working with Illinois’ members of Congress and the White House to “make sure that we get the resources that we need,” such as federal appropriations that have been available in other states that have received migrants from Texas.
Lightfoot said resources going to Texas should be cut off and sent to cities welcoming migrants.
Pritzker said he believed the state has available resources in the IDHS budget to deal with the migrants in the near term.
“But absolutely, there is a point at which that we wouldn’t have the resources to continue, and you’ve seen thousands and thousands arriving in New York and in D.C., and it’s an enormous burden on those cities,” he said.
Lightfoot, whose city received most of the migrants, said it will continue to assist them.
“The reality is we have a finite number of resources here in the city of Chicago and the county of Cook,” she said. “And so there will be a need to expand the number of communities across the state that may have to step up.”
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service covering state government that is distributed to more than 400 newspapers statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Local News
Mother’s Day is truly a day to be celebrated
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Mother’s Day happens on Sunday, May 12. If this isn’t something to celebrate, I don’t know what is. Motherhood means new life, new beginnings, new possibilities. Even if you won’t be seeing your mom, you can still…
Saint Xavier men’s volleyball finishes historic season in nation’s top 4
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team made history by advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. But the Cougars fell to eventual national champion Georgetown (Kentucky), 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10, on May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although there was…
St. Francis first baseman Nate Maliska earns conference POW honors
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent The University of St. Francis sophomore first baseman Nate Maliska was chosen the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s Player of the Week in baseball for April 7. In helping the Saints to four wins that week, Maliska went 9-for-15 (.600) with eight RBI and seven runs scored. The St. Laurence…
Baseball | Marist claws way back to .500
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent This season has thus far not been what Marist had expected, but the RedHawks came into this week at .500. Marist was 2-8 after 10 games this season, with three of those first eight losses coming via shutout. But the RedHawks turned things around with a stretch of eight…
Red Stars fall to Spirit for third loss in past four matches
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent After enjoying one of their best starts in franchise history, the Chicago Red Stars have slid to the middle of the NWSL standings, with the latest setback being a 4-2 loss to Washington at SeatGeek Stadium. The Stars (3-3-1) entered this week having dropped three of their past four…
Red Stars take aim at NWSL attendance record with Wrigley game
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Red Stars are thinking big when it comes to their upcoming game at Wrigley Field. The team is taking aim at the NWSL record for single-game attendance when it hosts Bay FC at the historic home of the Chicago Cubs on June 8. The record is held…
IHSA announces boys volleyball postseason assignments
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year, the area sent a pair of boys volleyball teams to state as Lyons finished runner-up to champion Glenbard South and Brother Rice lost in the quarterfinals. This year, both could face each other in the sectional finals. The Lions picked up the second seed and the Crusaders…
Badminton players from Reavis and Lyons going to state
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Reavis singles player Dania Amjad finished third in the Bolingbrook Sectional on May 2 to qualify for the IHSA state tournament. The Lyons doubles team of Simone Brown and Mia Graziano finished fourth in the York Sectional to qualify for state. The state finals are May 10-11 at DeKalb…
Brother Rice, Sandburg sending boats to bass fishing state tourney
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Brother Rice is sending two boats to the IHSA state bass fishing tournament. The Crusaders had first- and third-place finishes at the Des Plaines River Big Basin Marina Sectional on May 2. Sandwiched in between the Brother Rice boats was a group from Sandburg in second place. The Crusaders’…
Neighbors
Home security cameras could be big help to Orland cops
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Residents of Orland Park could have a hand in solving crime in the village. The board of trustees unanimously approved to move forward with a voluntary security camera registration program at its Jan. 4 meeting. It’s expected to start on Feb. 1. This program gives citizens and businesses a chance…
Ailing eagle on the mend
Spread the loveSeveral blocks northwest of Garfield Ridge—just west of 47th and Harlem–motorists late last month noticed an eagle flying low and acting erratically. The Villa Park-based Chicago Bird Collision Monitors was contacted, and its volunteers found and captured the majestic bird. It was transported to a facility owned and operated by Glen Ellyn-based Willowbrook…
Can’t we just fast-forward to spring?
Spread the loveBy Joan Hadac Your correspondent in Clearing and Garfield Ridge (708) 496-0265 • joan.hadac@gmail.com Hi everyone. Is it spring yet? Is the pandemic over yet? Not that I’m impatient or anything. I want to move forward past all the negative COVID-19 has brought to my life and everyone else’s life. I want to see…
Scavenger Sale different this year, Pappas says
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ 2022 Scavenger Sale will look different, as the Treasurer’s Office takes steps to help small developers, homeowners and investors rebuild neighborhoods and create generational wealth. Under Illinois law, the Treasurer’s Office is required to conduct a Scavenger Sale every two years, offering at auction the…
Give poor countries a break, Chuy says
Spread the loveFrom staff reports U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th) is one of 18 Members of Congress who recently sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, urging her to use the voice and vote of the United States at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to abolish the IMF’s surcharge policy, which requires countries…
Stop sale of dangerous drugs online, Rush says
Spread the loveFrom staff reports Legislation designed to ensure that social media platforms and websites are held accountable for failing to prevent the sale of dangerous, illegal drugs on their platforms has been introduced by U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-1st). The Domain Reform for Unlawful Drug Sellers (DRUGS) Act also was introduced by U.S. David…
$1 million Lucky Day Lotto jackpot won in Bridgeview
Spread the loveFrom staff reports If you bought a Lucky Day Lotto ticket in Bridgeview for Thursday night’s drawing, you may want to check it right away – that’s because you might be a newly-minted millionaire! Circle K gas station, located at 7050 S. Harlem Ave. in Bridgeview, sold a $1 million winning Lucky Day…
Poisoned bald eagle found in Lyons woods
Spread the loveBy Kelly White Bald eagles are becoming increasingly more common in the Chicagoland area, and avid bird enthusiasts said this is no surprise. “I have been watching the same pair of bald eagles and their offspring for 12 years now,” Sue Delfiacco said. To Delfiacco, the pair of birds are like family. Every…
Ada Hook was a Chicago Lawn original
Spread the loveBy Kathy Headley Your correspondent in Chicago Lawn and Marquette Manor 6610 S. Francisco • (773) 776-7778 Last week we learned about the passing of two ladies with ties to the community: Mary Ellen St. Aubin and Harriet Jendrach. On the heels of that news, I just learned of the recent passing of…
Meeting those new year’s challenges
Spread the loveBy Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 Hi neighbors! I hope everyone is enjoying January. This is a good time to stay inside and organize your home. Start with a room or a closet or even a drawer. I decided to start with the cabinet that I keep…