“This is not progress, it’s decline, and on an epically confused scale. If the wide sweep of the past century or so made anything clear, it’s that governments at all levels really don’t need to be involved in the provision of basic goods and services, whether we’re talking about food, airlines, utilities, communications, garbage hauling, health care, taxis, or even a post office (when, in the internet age, is the last

The administration’s announcement is an important victory for congressional Democrats and leaders in large cities like New York and Chicago, who for months have been pressuring the federal government to grant migrants in their communities legal status so they can work legally more quickly and not rely on local services.

For now, the county would spend about $7 million in federal pandemic dollars to buy the Margarita Inn in Evanston, and about $6.5 million to buy the Write Inn in Oak Park. While the county still wants to buy a hotel in the south suburbs to become a permanent shelter, Karl Bradley, deputy director of housing at Cook County, said some suburban governments don’t want to lose the tax base they generate from having hotels in town, for example.

Chicago Public Schools parent Deepak Jha says he and his first grade son, Vansh, can only keep up their daily three- to four-hour round-trip commute on public transportation for so long. “It’s not sustainable,” Jha said, adding that despite departing before dawn, his son has been tardy nearly every day. And on four separate days, he had no choice

The contract mentions no specific sites for the base camps, and none has been chosen, according to mayoral press secretary Ronnie Reese. In fact, the only specific site mentioned so far — 115th and Halsted streets — has faced opposition from local residents. The contract also includes no specific timetable for erecting the tent cities.

The city quietly signed a $29 million contract with Garda World last week to erect, staff and operate the facilities. Each tent must be able to house 250-1,400 people. The company must also provide migrants with bedding, laundry, showers, 3-meals a day and security, all-day child care seven days a week, and vans to take migrants to schools, doctor appointments and community resources. There is also a line that says the tents can be heated to 70 degrees if the outside temperature is 40 degrees.

Paul Vallas, who finished second in a runoff election to Mayor Brandon Johnson in April, said there has been no transparency regarding taxpayer funds that have gone to non-citizen care. “There has really been no accountability on who is getting that money, how much they are spending, or for that matter, the effectiveness of those expenses,” Vallas said.

According to the most recent records of her multiple employers, Davis Gates makes more than $262,000 a year. Her annual salary includes at least three income streams, and doesn’t count any income earned by her husband. On the other hand, the average family receiving an Invest in Kids scholarship makes just $45,046 a year.

“Monsanto knew for decades that its commercial PCB formulations were highly toxic and would inevitably produce precisely the contamination and human health risks that have occurred, perpetuating the environmental abuse and stark inequities so many of Chicago’s neighborhoods have long suffered from,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson.

While the city is working to meet new arrivals’ immediate needs, like housing, food, medical care, Karina Ayala-Bermejo, of the nonprofit Instituto del Progreso Latino, said the top two things migrants ask for are legal help and work.

In the past decade, the district’s student body shrunk by 20%, with the district seeing multiple year-over-year declines of roughly 10,000 students; last year, Chicago lost its standing as the nation’s third largest district. But in the past year, the city has welcomed thousands of migrant families from the southern border and a top mayoral aide suggested that newcomers were boosting enrollment in schools.

The restaurant industry is the largest employer of Chicagoans age 16 to 24, and Ald. Jessie Fuentes said raising their wages could reduce homelessness and crime throughout the city.

“If they don’t want to clean up their act, they don’t want to clean up their stores, don’t want to be good neighbors, then get the hell out of Chicago,” Ald. Matt O’Shea said.

“The plan piles on to an already-suffering sector of Chicago with the marketing ‘Bring Chicago Home,’ which is simply spin-doctoring. The program would be more accurately called ‘Bring Chicago Down.'”

“Reports that…the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office didn’t even bother to file a motion to seek detaining the accused are problematic,” state Sen. John Curran said. “This highlights the misplaced priorities of Illinois’ criminal justice system when the prosecutor prioritizes the freedom of a violent offender over the safety of those police officers dedicated to protecting and serving our communities.”