Illinois Democratic Governor JB Pritzker on Monday called on President Biden to take “swift action” to address the federal government’s “lack of intervention and coordination” on the southern border.
Pritzker, in a letter to the 80-year-old president demanding federal aid, said the influx of immigrants has created “an untenable situation for Illinois.”
“Unfortunately, the response and assistance that Illinois has provided to these asylum seekers has not been matched by the federal government’s support,” Pritzker wrote. “Most critically, the federal government’s lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois.”
About 15,000 immigrants have lost Illinois resources in the 13 months since the arrival of the first bus of asylum seekers from Texas, Pritzker claimed.
Pritzker noted that his state has spent more than $330 million to provide humanitarian aid for immigrants, in addition to more than $100 million contributed by the city of Chicago, but is struggling to deal with the influx of asylum seekers.
About 15,000 immigrants have overwhelmed state resources in Illinois. TNS via Getty Images
“While we have found temporary housing in existing buildings for the majority of refugees, we are challenged to find additional housing for the continued flow of people who continue to come and now have to sleep in police stations and on sidewalks,” Pritzker wrote. “This situation is untenable and requires your immediate assistance beyond the upcoming work authorization for some asylum seekers.”
“There is much more that can and must be done at the federal level to deal with the country’s humanitarian crisis that is currently borne by state and local governments without support.”
Pritzker’s letter to Biden contained a list of suggestions for how the federal government could help crisis-stricken states on the southern border, including a suggestion that the president appoint a key person to handle the immigration emergency.
A small child plays with a doll while newly arrived immigrants sit on cots and the floor of a city-run temporary shelter at O’Hare International Airport on August 31, 2023. TNS via Getty Images
“First and foremost, I recommend that there be someone in the federal government working directly for you in the White House who can lead oversight of our nation’s efforts at the border,” Pritzker wrote.
“Right now, we have too many different federal department connections – which are not coordinated with each other – which are handling various programs related to this humanitarian crisis. One office with identified leaders must be tasked with working for cities and states across government silos to manage the challenges we all face,” he said.
Pritzker also recommended that the Biden administration take a “more active role” in transporting immigrants out of border states, arguing that it’s unfair that states like Texas can pick and choose which cities immigrants will pass through.
Pritzker’s letter included a list of recommendations for the Biden administration on how to deal with the migrant crisis. WireImage
“It is not possible that only a few cities and states should bear the cost of this effort alone,” he argued.
The governor went on to ask Biden to waive fees for immigrants applying for temporary protection status, provide financial support to states, local governments, and non-governmental organizations for temporary housing, food and social services for immigrants, speed up the timeline for work authorization for immigrants and approve requests Illinois for Medicaid waivers and housing vouchers.
“Mr. President, I urge you, Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas, and your entire administration to take swift action and intervene on our behalf and on behalf of other affected states and their people, as well as on behalf of the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who make dangerous and difficult journeys to achieve public safety and forge a life that better for themselves and their families,” Pritzker’s letter concluded.
Like Pritzker, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded with the White House for months for help with the migrant crisis, arguing that it would cost the Big Apple $12 billion over three years to handle the surge.
“There is no leadership here,” Adams told several Biden administration advisers while in Washington, DC, last October, pleading for federal help with the crisis, according to CNN.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
