By: Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
The economic consequences of Illinois’ spending on illegal immigrants are real. Everyone gets hurt by the higher taxes that spending billions more imposes. But there’s much more to the migrant problem than that.
Our schools are being overwhelmed. Unemployment will likely jump. And so will poverty. Our streets have become less safe. And our economy will suffer.
If Wirepoints had been at Gov. Pritzker’s congressional testimony, here are six questions we would have asked him to answer:
1. How do you justify spending more than $1.5 billion of Illinois taxpayers’ dollars on healthcare for illegal immigrants when Chicago has the highest black poverty rate in the country among the nation’s biggest cities?
2. How do you justify spending hundreds of millions, if not billions, on illegal, non-English-speaking children at Chicago Public Schools when the school district is already junk-rated, faces a billion-dollar deficit and has just 21% of black students able to read at grade level?
3. How can you justify allowing illegals with violent criminal histories to come to our state when Chicago has led the country in total murders for 13 years in a row and had the highest murder rate among the nation’s 20 biggest cities in 2024?
4. How do you justify the billions spent on illegal migrants when Illinoisans already pay the nation’s highest property taxes, the 2nd-highest gas taxes and the highest cell phone taxes. Kiplinger ranks Illinois third in the nation in its list of “least tax-friendly states for middle-class families.”
5. How do you justify burdening Chicagoans with the billions in costs of caring for illegal migrants when the Chicago area is already struggling to grow its economy? The metro area’s real GDP has only grown 4% since you took office, the worst among the nation’s 15 biggest metro areas.
6. How do you justify allowing in tens of thousands of illegal migrants who will struggle to find work when Illinois’ unemployment rate was the nation’s 4th-highest in 2024 and Chicago’s black community is struggling with an unemployment rate of 12.3% – the highest among the nation’s 15 biggest cities?
For more on Gov. Pritzker’s testimony last week, check out our piece on Pritzker’s doubling down on his rhetoric of resistance and Rep. Krishnamoorthi’s engaging in a dishonest cheer session for Illinois.
Audio and summary 
If this bill passes, say goodbye to local control over all Illinois parks and expect to see open drug and alcohol use, needles, no sanitation and fire hazards, but no ordinary park users.
When he debates the Republican candidate somebody needs to ask him these questions or even in a press conference. I wonder if there’s a journalist who has the cajones to do it. William Kelly from Chicago maybe.
Pritzker is never really challenged with questions and never once has had a serious interview with the obvious questions
Might have made a bit of a dent on pension funding shortfalls as well
https://windycitytimes.com/2025/03/25/pritzker-vows-to-defend-trans-rights-against-trumps-authoritarianism-at-los-angeles-hrc-dinner/
A couple of other queries that would have Butterworth looking around nervously and stammering: If the budget is balanced “ For the last seven years “ as you trumpeted like Col. McBragg, why do you zap IL residents with more gas taxes year in and out? Is it because your fantasy budget is contingent on “ future revenue “ that never seems to measure up? Why do you feel the need to continue the disastrous SafeT Act? Why have you spent tax dollars on one failed “ green “ company after another? Watch him melt like a scoop of ice… Read more »
Those are good questions to ask those who voted for him and will again.
How does he justify all 6 of your question? These are all of his potential voters for next term. As long as he takes car of them they will vote for him. No voter ID required for IL, so any illegal or dead person can vote and they do, often. Between this and his money to pay off electors and supreme court justices, he’s a shoe in for a 3rd term.
Chicago resident criticizes JB Pritzker for defending Illinois’ sanctuary policies: ‘We are livid’
Chicago resident Cata Truss reacts to a report that the state of Illinois is slated to spend $2.5 billion on illegal migrants in 2025 and Gov. JB Pritzker defending sanctuary policies.
Fox and Friends First Video, June 17, 2025
Gosh, who’d a thunk Illinois had half a billion dollars per year lying around to spend on non Illinois citizen health care? And to think that I’ve actually paid medical bills my whole life.
Didn’t you hear?? Pritzker took $137million from the IL road fund, to cover state employee health benefits. Why aren’t state employees paying for health coverage out of their own paychecks like everyone else has to do?
They are paying for a portion of their health coverage “like everyone else has to do”. The employer also pays for a portion like many employers.
For the same reason most teachers pay 0 to 2% toward their pensions depending on theirSD contracts.
like PPF, I don’t have a problem with the employer subsidizing health care premiums for their employees….especially if that subsidy is close to what the private sector provides. My objection is the road tax usage. I thought we protected that money for transportation use only in the constitution. How are they bypassing this and, if the constitution is so easily bypassed, what prevents other provisions in the constitution to be bypassed?