Pritzker Downplays Tensions with City Over Migrant Crisis
Governor JB Pritzker speaking at the Google Chicago headquarters Monday.
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Governor JB Pritzker took issue Monday with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s assertion the state should be building shelters for asylum-seeking migrants in the suburbs and not all within city limits.
“[Chicago] is where they think they’re going, that is where they expect to be arriving, not in Elmhurst, not in other suburbs, but in the city of Chicago,” Pritzker said at an unrelated news conference. “It is also where all of the services are that they need when they arrive.”
But, in a news conference Monday afternoon, Johnson continued to claim the state isn’t doing enough.
“Tthe state of Illinois committed to 2,200 beds, right? So far, they have 200. They’re still committed to 2,000 beds. But again, the goal is of course, is to resettle families as fast as we can to make sure that we are able to handle the flow in the event that it picks up again,” Johnson said. “The state of Illinois can move today to build a shelter, and I’m confident that that will take place.”
But Pritzker said while some suburban communities, like Oak Park, have provided services for migrants, the majority of asylum seekers will need to land in the city of Chicago.
“We certainly have encouraged other jurisdictions to step forward. We’ve created grant programs. Some of them have taken us up on it,” he said. “The majority part needs to be in the city of Chicago. And we have been supporting the city of Chicago with literally tens of millions of dollars directly as well as hundreds of millions of dollars indirectly.”
Pritzker downplayed reports that there are “tensions” between he and Johnson, claiming the city and state, as well as Cook County officials are meeting “everyday.”
“We’re getting a lot done, there’s no doubt,” Pritzker said. “There are aspects of this that there are disagreements about and sometimes those leak into the public, but the reality is we all understand our responsibilities here. It is to have a humanitarian response to a humanitarian crisis.”
Johnson, meanwhile, backed off of his already-delayed deadline to evict some migrants from shelters after 60 days until the end of March.