A Chicago resident arrested earlier this year for trying to block an immigrant bus criticized the city’s new $51 million aid package for immigrants.
A heated debate at City Hall over the issue last week saw police remove people from public view
Andre Smith, 55, described the situation as a mess and called on authorities to temporarily suspend the city’s protected status. Smith suggested investing some of the money allocated for the immigration package in Chicago’s impoverished black community. It’s just Memorial Day weekend. So you can invest that money in crime,” he said.
“We need to give some of that money to black children and black communities,” said the public citizen
Passed by a 43-13 vote last week, the new funding runs through June and is intended to help Mayor Brandon Johnson address the crisis inherited from outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot. On her last day as mayor, she declared Chicago’s immigration crisis a “state of emergency.” The new funds will be spent on emergency shelter staff, food, transportation, and legal advice in hopes of easing the city’s crisis. Much of Wednesday afternoon’s debate was racially motivated, identifying black Chicagoans and Hispanic immigrants as two distinct groups in need of help. We must help the people of this wonderful city.
READ ALSO: The Latest Update On The San Antonio Area Median Income Is Now $88,600