Chicago’s progressive new mayor, Brandon Johnson, said in his post-inauguration speech Monday that the Windy City has “plenty of room” to accommodate the flood of immigrants across the border.
“We don’t want our story to be told that we couldn’t accommodate the homeless or provide a safe place for those seeking refuge. “We’re looking for areas that are well funded,” Johnson said.
“We don’t want the story to be about Chicago being so traumatized by violence and despair that people feel they have no choice but to flee. And better days await Chicago.” Our story reaches beyond this moment, and I am grateful to be working with government agencies committed to that transformation,” he added.
Now that pandemic-era Title 42 border crossing restrictions have ended, new immigration flows to Chicago are expected to increase.Chicago mayor to step down last week Lori Lightfoot She declared a state of emergency after illegal immigrants were bused into her city by Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Her office has counted over 8,000 arrivals since August 2022.
Daughter of late Chicago cop frustrated by crime surge: ‘Not the city we swore to protect’
“Speaking right, the soul of Chicago tells us that we will never close the door to those who come here in search of a better life,” the mayor later said. “For as the Bible says, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to eat.’ I was a stranger, but you invited me in. I needed clothes, and you dressed me.’ “I was sick. But you took care of me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me.” It has always been and always will be the soul of Chicago. ”
“We know that a city’s strength is determined by how it treats its most vulnerable people,” Johnson added. “And we chose to be a strong city. We invested in the people who have lived here for decades and supported the people who were bussed here this morning. We must reject the zero-sum formulation between and we can do both Chicago and Chicago.” And we can all work together. ”
Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old boy who was shot dead by Chicago Police Department officer Eric Stillman, the last to be fired, after admitting that “too many Chicagoans fear for their safety,” Johnson said. I tried to find a connection with the death of 2021. From foot tracking to the murder of 24-year-old Chicago police officer Aleana Preston on the way home from work last week. Joseph Brooks, 19, Trevell Breeland, 19, Jakwon Buchanan, 18, and a 16-year-old boy have been charged with first-degree murder and armed robbery.
“Adam Toledo’s parents’ tears are made of the same grief as Officer Preston’s parents,” Johnson said. “To the family of Officer Preston, my heart is with you.”
Chicago’s Lori Lightfoot has declared a state of emergency due to an influx of illegal immigrants sent by the Texas government.Abbott
The mayor noted that he lives in the Austin neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, and how the city plans to host the 2024 Democratic National Convention.
“The very fact that the mayor of Chicago lives in one of the city’s most deprived and violent communities shows what’s possible,” he said. “So let us not be discouraged by the status quo. Let us never stop imagining what it will be like. and make Chicago a place for big events such as: A Democratic National Convention that creates vitality in every neighborhood. ”
Johnson, 47, a former organizer of the Chicago Teachers Union, was largely unknown and inexperienced within the city government when he ran for mayor in 2022. But the two-term Cook County sheriff has gradually moved into a crowded field with the support of the influential union where he once worked and the endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders (Berney, Vermont). climbed to the top. Democrat Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) and local progressive groups defeated incumbent Mayor Lightfoot in a tough runoff election in April.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Since then, he’s sought to appeal to those who didn’t support him in the election, gathering leaders from labor organizations and progress groups, as well as familiar names from Chicago’s businesses and philanthropic organizations. ing. He chose a veteran of the City of Chicago’s Emergency Management Department as chief of staff and a former police commander popular with the rank and file as interim leader of the Chicago Police Department.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.