CHICAGO — Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle met yesterday to supposedly discuss solutions for the migrant crisis enveloping Chicago, and yet one of the biggest elephants in the room has yet to be touched:
Two weeks ago, Pritzker said “The city has not told the state where they would like us to put our resources to build new shelters or help them build new shelters, so we can’t help if we can’t identify those locations.” Despite the ludicrous assertion that he can’t do anything until the city does, Pritzker continues to claim that progress is being made between the city, state, and county on plans to handle the migrant crisis, utilizing photo ops like yesterday’s meeting at city hall as a substitute for substance.
And yet… from reporting on yesterday’s meeting: “Not discussed: Where the city wants the state to locate a new shelter that could house as many as 2,000 asylum seekers. The state has said it’s ready to prop up a facility but needs direction from the city. Johnson has said the state can figure that out on its own.”
It has been 18 months since this crisis began and no tangible solutions have been found to address this crisis. It’s past time to start asking Governor Pritzker why the state of Illinois remains flatfooted in dealing with the crisis.
