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FIRST ON FOX: Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee are investigating Chicago’s housing of unlawful immigrants at two airports within the metropolis — asking whether or not town is violating funding necessities, and accusing town of being an “illegal immigrant magnet” with its sanctuary metropolis coverage.
The Republicans, led by Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have written to Mayor Brandon Johnson over its strikes to accommodate migrants at O’Hare International Airport since March and extra lately in Midway International Airport. Images emerged final 12 months of a whole bunch of migrants camped out in O’Hare in a bit of the airport. It got here as town struggled to take care of an inflow of tens of hundreds of migrants since mid-2022.
“Repurposing airport facilities and infrastructure to house illegal aliens not only degrades taxpayers’ investment in the national airport system but, at least in the case of O’Hare, as federally-funded airport facilities are withdrawn from public access and use, it violates the requirement that these federally funded facilities ‘be available for public use as an airport.’”
“No rational person would define an airport as a facility that houses illegal aliens,” they are saying.
CHICAGO FACES BACKLASH FROM RESIDENTS OVER RESOURCES FOR MIGRANTS: ‘THEY ARE JUST NOT LISTENING!’
Recently arrived migrants in a makeshift shelter operated by town of Chicago at OHare International Airport on Aug. 31, 2023. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service through Getty Images) ((Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service through Getty Images))
They additionally observe Chicago’s standing as a “sanctuary city” and say that its opposition to busing of migrants from Texas by Gov. Greg Abbott reveals town is “working overtime to avoid making good on such platitudes.”
“Just recently, you characterized the sending of illegal aliens to Chicago as ‘sow[ing] seeds of chaos,’ implied Texas Governor Greg Abbott is motivated by racial animus and that his voluntary transportation program for illegal aliens to sanctuary cities is ‘attacking . . . cities that are being led by black leaders or leaders of color,’ and demanded the federal government and the American taxpayer pick up the bill for Chicago’s decision to flout federal law,” they are saying.
It additionally highlights a dispute between town and United Airlines and American Airlines concerning a brand new terminal at O’Hare, and asks if town is “trying to squeeze more money out of United and America as you struggle to offset the costs of being a sanctuary city.”
The lawmakers are asking in regards to the quantity of migrants being housed at the airports, the associated prices, the hazards it has created, if it acquired any federal waivers and if it consulted with the TSA on matter of aviation security and safety.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is seen throughout votes within the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, December 5, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc through Getty Images) (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc through Getty Images)
“Rather than advocating for border communities alone to shoulder the burden, we encourage you to use the authorities at your disposal to advocate for border and transportation security, the enforcement of immigration laws, and consider reversing the illegal immigrant magnet that is Chicago’s misguided sanctuary city policy,” they are saying.
In December, Johnson touted his administration’s efforts to offer housing, healthcare and education for the migrants coming to town, however has appealed for added federal assist. He is one of a coalition of mayors who has referred to as for greater than $5 billion in help from the federal authorities.
“What I have worked to do instead of having chaos is provide some structure and calm around the situation and, without significant federal support, this is not sustainable,” Johnson stated.
“I’ve said repeatedly we need more resources,” he added.
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“[W]ithout real significant investment from our federal government, it won’t just be the city of Chicago that won’t be able to maintain this mission; it’s the entire country that is now at stake,” Johnson stated.
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