By: Mark Glennon*
For Chicago and Illinois, suicide is apparently preferable to the only real solution available – ending sanctuary status and demanding that the border be enforced.
Why?
Chicago already estimates it will spend over $300 million this year, but that’s just for the 13,500 migrants bused in from Texas. What about the rest of the millions pouring in, many of whom will surely make their way here? Total illegal immigration to the U.S. has been about 5.5 million in the last 2 1/2 years. Illinois share of those, based on its relative population, is another 220,000.
And the rate of illegal entries is accelerating. In August, even the Washington Post says a new record was reached for illegal border crossings, despite the summer heat that usually slows it down. Migrants who are here attract still more. According to Axios, people on the ground say immigrant arrivals create “a snowball effect,” leading more migrants to follow those who were placed on state-backed buses to major cities.
The surging number numbers are part of why the cost of Illinois’ decision to extend Medicaid benefits to migrants is also surging. That reckless decision is now officially estimated to cost the state $1 billion over the coming year, but nobody honestly knows since the number of incoming migrants is unknown.
The impact on education is shaping up as a calamity in itself. Last school year, as WTTW recently reported, over a fourth of students enrolled at Chicago Public Schools were English learners. Since then, WTTW says, an additional 1,200 students were enrolled over the summer, another 1,000 just since the beginning of this school year and more are on the way.
Beyond direct education costs for migrants, the other burdens on schools and other students is surely huge. Teacher time and school resources get diverted to language issues and other horrific problems immigrants face. Class progress slows. “Kids are showing up with rotting teeth and active fevers and malnutrition and they’re not receiving care here,” an assistance worker told the Chicago Tribune.
Yet immigrant children are not required to get the same vaccines that schools require for citizens, infuriating parents in Chicago.
In some other states, Democrats and Republicans alike are saying “enough.” New Jersey’s Democrat Gov. Phil Murphy flipped against his previous efforts to be a “sanctuary state” and is refusing to take in immigrants as proposed by the Biden Administration. The New York Times last week published an article headlined, “New York’s Migrant Crisis Is Growing. So Are Democrats’ Anxieties.”
And New York City Mayor Eric Adams last week made headlines around the country for saying the inflow of migrants will “destroy the city.” “Never in my life have I had a problem that I did not see an ending to. I don’t see an ending to this,” Adams said.
What solutions are being pursued by Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker?
Winterized camps with massive tents form Johnson’s latest plan. They’ve begged for a federal bailout, as you’d expect, and they want expedited work permits for migrants. They say Illinois has a worker shortage the immigrants can fill. But Illinois has the nation’s fourth highest unemployment rate at four percent. Shouldn’t citizens be expected to take the jobs going unfilled?
The futility of those cosmetic solutions makes the real question obvious: Why? Why won’t Johnson, Pritzker and the rest of Illinois leadership publicly recognize that the border must be enforced and that sanctuary status for illegal migrants is folly?
The best clue to the answer comes is in a recent ABC News report about New York. There, Democrats worry that frank talk about the border “will end up feeding and validating right wing talking points,” ABC says. One has to assume that’s at work in Illinois as well — that political concerns about reversing course and sounding Trumpy are more important than fixing the problem. Progressives like Biden, Pritzker and Johnson are totally invested in sanctuary and a border that’s all but open.
They labeled “build the wall” as racist and xenophobic, so now they are stuck. Mayor Adams’ lament that he sees no way to end the crisis therefore may have more truth than he knew, because enforcing the border is off that table for those in office.
Have compassion for immigrants. Help even those who were wrongly admitted. Support lots of legal immigration if you want. But make no mistake: Illinois and Chicago, like the rest of the nation, cannot handle the consequences of an open border, particularly when “sanctuary” policies draw immigrants in.
Just don’t expect Illinois leadership to admit it.
*Mark Glennon is founder of Wirepoints
Earlier related Wirepoints columns:
- As request for federal bailout pends, does anybody have a clue how much migrants arriving in Chicago are costing taxpayers?
- Chicago sets up migrant school children for failure
- Four reasons why Chicago should end its sanctuary status
- Posturing and double-talk on Illinois’ new authorization for undocumented immigrants to become police
- New Report Exposes Growing, Billion Dollar Budget Fiasco In Illinois’ Free Medicaid Program For Undocumented Immigrants
- Pritzker’s New Emergency Disaster Proclamation For Immigrants: Compassion Or Peak Hypocrisy?
- Illinois doing all it can to ensure the worst year ever for illegal border crossings
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.
You have people coming across the border from all over the world. NGO’s are the ones bringing military age single Chinese males to SA. How do Russians get to Mexico? Why go to war with guns when we do it to ourselves? Here’s a chilling look at Chicago’s futures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LT8DcsnfJ_o
This is about saving electoral votes as even illegals are being counted for this purpose as states like ours are loosing population daily here is the taxpayer paid for cure. We should all rise up against it!!
Chicago’s Sanctuary City Shit Show will be the perfect showcase for the Democrat National Convention next year
Down here in Joliet / Lockport we live with a very, very, very large community of undocumented people. It is peaceful, it is stressing the schools, but it seems to be going OK, not everyone is out for a welfare check it seems. But it has the potential to get bad economically I suppose. The wife and I went to the Mexican Rodeo these undocumented people run in Lockport, we were the only whites, at the gate they told us entrance fee was $140, we knew others pay $5, so obviously trying to make us turn away. Anyway, when they… Read more »
Excellent perspective. Thank you.
The song Rich Men North of Richmond is about the Necons.
Exactly, it is about Niki Haley, Pence, Christie, Victoria Nuland, Mitch McConnel basically anyone pushing the 397,000 dead Ukrainians and billions of dollars into a meat grinder right now because they know Americans won’t do their fighting for them. The people who coup country after country that decides not to use our dollars. The people who created dollar hegemony by force. Well BRICS will end that nonsense soon enough ushering a currency based on a countries real value resources, oil, gold, industrial capacity, etc. Gone will be the day when these neocons can print worthless paper in a day then… Read more »
Interesting story. What I found even more interesting was despite your being “different” no harm came to you. Now as an experiment try standing on an inner city Chicago street corner watching some of the antics and see if harm comes to you. Just as a cultural experiment…
No offense, but this culture is a dumpster fire. A rickety rodeo with no workers compensation laws, safety OSHA laws and likely mistreated animals behind closed doors is not progress, it’s a regression back to the unregulated 1890’s. We can’t have a thriving economy with illegal rodeos. And behind the cost to school and feed these children, there’s a massive hidden economic cost beyond what most people even think of: ~Latin America has a single-motherhood rate that rivals the African-American community. The men are basically undocumented and underground, they impregnate multiple women and then move on. They did that in… Read more »
If the Rodeo was a voluntary social event why would OSHA and Workman’s Compensation be involved? I hear day in and day out about the failure of the School system and the CTU teachers. Now it is the children’s fault? Can then we assume it is the black children’s fault then too? That is an interesting concept. Personally my children are involved in education and they tell me that the Mexican children are pretty well behaved because their parents get involved knowing that an education is the way that they, their children, will have a better life than they, the… Read more »
While I generally agree with you Riverbender, I’ve heard different stories about the children of illegals, and they are not nearly as involved in school as the natives. The elementary school in the suburbs as a child, many years ago, has borne the brunt of illegal immigration since 2020 and the drop off in kids who who don’t meet standards went from less than 1/3 in 2019 to well over half in 2022, as the school is filling up with the children of illegal immigrants. As for the rodeo, it is a for-profit event, we are not in Mexico anymore,… Read more »
You say a lot of words, a lot of assumptions, intermixed with some truth, a lot of negativity looking for a fact somewhere to justify it. Metric system? C’mon, every mechanic or carpenter or machinist I know uses both and learned one or the other first. But none of your rant is actually based on living with or in a saturated undocumented community is it? Few of those exist north of I80 where I assume you live. Come to the Rodeo at the corner of the farms near Briggs and Oak on Sundays from 4 to 8. The farm off… Read more »
Your ignorance is breathtaking. You probably are into the participation trophy fad as well. Your opinions are the reason this country is headed quickly for the crapper.
I find it amusing when New York has a major budget breakdown and goes berserk because they have to assimilate 10,000 illegal immigrants. While Texas is assimilating the other 7+ million with hardly a peep. Same goes for all you north suburbanites who think your lifestyle is ruined because some illegals settle there. While Joliet / Lockport is quietly assimilating 50,000+ or so. Same analogy. You better work hard to keep those damn Mexicans out of your turf, right? Try working the problem instead of pretending it can just go away. Ignorance is for those who ignore, try actually living… Read more »
I am here in DFW and Texas has massive problems. Much due to illegal immigration. I understand and respect Latin culture 100% but they are bringing the 3rd world here. Texas does not have the capacity so Greg Abbott continues to send busloads. Austin is broken and leftists have destroyed it. Other cities are not far behind. Northern cities are seeing what Texas cities have been seeing for over 25 years. It’s pathetic that the federal government allows this. I can only say that the cartels are winning and winning big. Can’t blame them, they take advantage of all of… Read more »
My community is basically rich upper middle class folk, one of the few left in Cook County, but I live adjacent to a town filled with quite a bit of illegal and legal third world immigrants. It’s not a pretty sight. The schools are overrun, the housing stock is dilapidated, the cars on the road are old and likely uninsured, their young men, driving these really stupid looking vehicles with 100% tinted windows look like their ready to mug me at any moment, they’re mostly scary looking to be honest. My town has zero murders but the next town over… Read more »
You always focus on the bad side of every social issue. It’s always going to be there. But, for every downside surely there is an upside, too, if you’d care to set your mind to look for that instead. Your world view and personality are the creations of your dominant perspective. Now, what kind of person would your family and friends prefer you to be?
Sure, you can notice the negatives of the hoards of military-aged Franks, Goths and Vandals crossing the Rhine, but try to focus on the positives instead! Two decades later the Vandals sacked Rome and buried all of it’s 1,000 year old treasures under some river, never to be found again, and the emperor of Rome was deposed, and Gaul was completely lost to the Franks, and native Britons were genocided by Jutes and Angles and Saxons, but hey! These barbarians have some metal working skills and their women are blonde haired blue eyed hotties! Sure, they live in mud huts,… Read more »
100%. But you forgot to mention that it took 1,000 years for civilization to start to recover.
YOU can’t change the world nor likely even its social trajectory. But, you might be able to change yourself to the extent that you are able to take on the extent of how it affects you. Your mind controls your health to a great extent, and adaptability is your friend in changing times. The “good old days” aren’t returning any time soon.
Don’t make the mistake of conflating my online persona with my real life persona.
Really, Dr. Jekyll? Mr. Hyde has to be evident to all at some point. You can fool some of the people some of the time, but ….
You’ve essentially described the southeast side of Chicago (I’m sure other areas as well). You left out liquor stores and currency exchanges though.
And hispanics are taking over the south and southeast side of Chicago block by block away from the african-american communities. That’s why the south shore community (18 murders so far this year) are so freaked out that hispanics in Calumet Heights (several blocks south, 3 murders this year) are moving into their neighborhoods. The one positive of all this, like James tells us to focus on the positives, is that the murder rate will drop by 4/5ths as hispanics take over african-neighborhoods. We’ve seen this all before, as in LA, when hispanics took over black neighborhoods, the murder rate in… Read more »
They must assimilate with us not us to them bro.
Assimilation is more than just 2nd generation immigrants speaking English. Eventually, the communities become so large that members of the communities form their own culture completely separate of that from greater society. That’s the problem that Europe has with the north african and middle eastern immigrants who live along with, but completely separate, from the greater European culture. That’s what is going to happen with this wave of illegal immigrants and their children. Just because past waves of immigrants have assimilated doesn’t mean that new immigrants will assimilate either. Immigration now is the highest in American History and is unprecedented.… Read more »
Assimilate means only support the bill of rights and the constitution of the US.
100%. We are past buying souvenirs at the border and coming back the same day. Their third world culture is now here and it’s all part of the grand plan of replacing voters and the shipment of drugs and cash.
Is this the rodeo the animal rights group is trying to shut dow.
They are political pawns and we do not have to accept them or what they represent. I am offended by half of them driving around with their flag draped across their hoods. If you do not want to support the USA then GTFO.
Very good perspective but still illegal no less. Also be careful with the crowd. This is the underground economy which has since grown exponentially over the last 30 years. Let’s first look at the cash paying jobs within our economy. This is the billions which are sent monthly to their countries of origin the largest being Mexico. This is to support families back home and $2000 US is an absolute game changer in pesos. A matter of life and death. The crowd does not consist of just drywallers, tapers, and landscapers. Now let’s look at the much bigger picture. They… Read more »
The real solution is to build that wall.
The bigger picture is not some conspiracy theory. It’s not even a secret. The global leaders regularly discuss why they are letting this happen, and how they plan to use it to gain more power in the future. The globalists have complained for decades that capital (money) can cross borders with ease but labor cannot. Investment flows from one country to another seamlessly but labor is stuck where labor resides, because governments control immigration, and most countries are against massive demographic changes cause by immigration. The EU open borders agreement was the first step the globalists took to facilitate legal… Read more »
The US Democrat leaders agree with this globalist plan. Because it gives them more power. They really believe that they’ll give all these illegals amnesty and they, and their children’s children, will vote Democrat for the next 100 years. They’re not wrong. The PRI Party ruled every state in Mexico and the federal government for nearly a century. Most Latin American countries, when they have free and fair elections, vote socialist or even communist. The even bigger picture here as is that as demographic changes happen, there will be white identity politics, and Democrats will lose much the white college… Read more »
Maybe I’m completely wrong, but it seems another giant issue no pol or press is talking about with migrant situation is that Chicago welcoming/sanctuary ordinance does NOT say anything about providing shelter to all these “new arrival” migrants. Spending $100s of millions providing shelter for migrants is something Chicago solely has decided to do all on their own and hope they get a giant federal bailout. Unlike NYC which has some obscure “shelter-in-place” legislation that progressive dems has insisted NYC follow. And now it looks like no fed bailout is coming? Big picture, I think, initially dems locally & nationally,… Read more »
If we put immigrants to work and give those encompassed in the 4% unemployment benefits aren’t we then paying double? Leave it up to Illinois to be that conniving and knowingly spend money they swear we don’t have AND complain loudly about another problem of their own making.
It seems from all the articles I read about east coast blue states–NYC/NY, Boston/MA, NJ, etc. all these sanctuary states have different legislation on how they define and obligations to “sanctuary” migrant status. It seems these east cost lib dems are suddenly freaking out when “new arrival” migrants are spreading outside big city limits into suburbs of NYC, Boston, Atlantic City, etc even though there are untold millions of undocumented migrants all over these states not just relegated to city limits. Especially with mayor Adams demanding NY suburbs and upstate NY take on their share of “new arrival” migrants. However,… Read more »
Progressive ideology and policies have always been based on their vision of utopia, not grounded in reality. So far, when their ideas have produced terrible results, they have been able to either hide the problem (inflated grades and social promotion), or blame racism and the extreme right (the ongoing problems in the inner city). But now, since they have managed to implement their ideas in almost every corner of society, it’s become much harder to hide and/or find a scapegoat for their failures. They have painted themselves into several corners, with the migrant situation at the top of the list.… Read more »
Always remember, Liberals are smarter than everyone else AND more virtuous.
hope that was sarcastic…….they are idiots
Yes, sarcasm.
But, liberals believe it’s true.
It’s impossible to hide a tent city! I really hope one doesn’t burn down because of poor management. These tents are highly flammable and heated with propane. We all know that propane produces carbon monoxide and fire doesn’t mix with substance abuse.
Spot on Dave. Google on the Hartford Circus tent fire of 1944 to see what xan happen. Of course I’m sure BJ on top of that….
Of course you can’t hide a tent city. They will look for other, more subtle ways. Jobs with community organizers? or something like that.
Considering the absurdity of the Democrats to eliminate a national border then be surprised with the chaotic results, its hard to not be cynical about this self manufactured crisis. So in cynically keeping with the criminal Democratic behavior and the Tent City proposal I’ll submit that Biden/Pritzker/Johnson are hoping for a massive Tent City fire and the deaths of hundreds to thousands of criminal illegal aliens. With the resulting sympathy how can their citizenship be denied? We are all Gods creatures. I hope this doesn’t happen but honestly expect such disaster to be a goal of Biden/Pritzker/Johnson Democrats.
So at least +$1.5B in new expenditures this year for people who broke multiple immigration laws to enter our country and state, all encouraged by Democrats. So the poor people here already that are citizens, how do they feel now?
More evidence that Democrats are a full blown cult.
We need to revoke their check book!!
So easy to be a liberal “woke” upper-middle class suburbanite, experiencing little genuine personal consequence for your progressive politics, which mostly occurs in the “Big Cities”. Mayor BJ has an opportunity for some performative politics: Several school buses of “recently-arrived immigrants” to the doorstep of village halls in North Shore suburbs, such as Winnetka, Wilmette, Deerfield, Glencoe, Kenilworth, and Highland Park, for instance, would cause immediate enormous outcry from local citizens, decrying the “dumping” of illegal aliens, anger at “Texas”, fretting the consequential financial cost-burden to their own communities for the housing, feeding, clothing, and entertainment of said “economic refugees”.… Read more »
I would’ve guessed Brandon understood the optics of a tent city and I would’ve been wrong.
A couple years ago I said it would not be Biden vs Trump again in 2024 and it looks like I was wrong.
And a couple years ago, I said if we elected a Democrat President we would never have a Republican President again. They have already decided how to steal this election. That’s why they aren’t worried about anything or anybody.
Progressive liberals can never admit they were wrong about anything. They are convinced of their superiority. This is evident by the smugness and arrogance with which they say absolutely everything. Pritzker is exhibit A, with Brandon right behind him. Whenever their plan doesn’t work, they simply blame everyone else, usually with the blanket “racist!” label. The illegal immigrant problem is about to get much worse. They continue to flow into the US in record numbers, and Governor Abbott has no option but to redistribute this human mess across the nation. The Covid stimulus money is running out and big blue… Read more »
“Progressive liberals can never admit they were wrong about anything. They are convinced of their superiority”. Oh, you mean the way you are stating your opinion here. When “they” do that it’s shameful, but when you do it with the same arrogance that’s okay apparently.
Actually you’re wrong again James. I’ve admitted being wrong several times on this very site. Comprehension is your friend. Try it sometime.
The ‘both sides’ argument is nonsense, not applicable here. First of all, it doesn’t address his point: progressives are arrogant. Secondly, there is a massive difference between the two sides. One side is in charge here, and uses ever lever of power available to cause chaos and strife. The other side, for all practical purposes, doesn’t exist. Making the ‘both sides’ argument is stupid.
Pritzker has no personal risk here, zero. He has bodyguards for his personal protection, and billions for his financial well-being. He bought the governorship twice. He thinks he has a good shot of buying presidency too, as personally-financed late-in-primary substitution for enfeebled Biden.
“Why?” Suspect factors like revenues to politically connected NGOs, jobs for new teachers, kickbacks to politicos and private sector JB/BJ donors, and prospective votes from the newcomers. Plus, Illinois and Chicago are financial basket cases clearly looking for more federal bailout monies.
The welfare of the migrants? No worries, comfy tents for all.
Catholic church and their NGO’s major benefactor of this criminal enterprise. Why they have largely shut up about abortion.
Agreed. Sad and shameful.
Illinois leaders ignore it because the media and population of eligible voters ignore it. As they say in my downstate liberal utopia “Immigrants? What immigrants; aren’t the new City pickleball courts wonderful?”
Nobody is ignoring it, Riverbender. I’m not buying the up-votes in support, either. I watch you and a few others come in here every day and do your best to post divisive, defeatist, and demoralizing posts. It’s the same theme over and over: nobody is on our side, nobody cares, nobody is paying attention, and there’s nothing we can do to stop it. Posts like yours are the reason nothing changes and nobody is motivated to fix the problem. Stop it! We’ve got a strong majority against illegal immigration and there’s no reason we can’t put an end to it!
Then why do you have 15+ downvotes? I am a card carrying Illinois Defeatist and I was from the womb since the state has been run so poorly for much of my existence, I would like to further understand your position.
It’s got 14 at 9:00A.M….., not 15+, because someone that recognizes the value of my post is cheating with a VPN. You’re telling me it got 14 legitimate downvotes between 1A.M. and now? LOL
If you guys think you’re going to keep getting away with cheating like this for the next few weeks, you’ve got another thing coming. I’m putting my foot down. This has been going on for too long.
There are lots of reasons to visit a loved one in the hospital. Hospital visits from family and others improve patient outcome. Visits provide comfort and relief for patients, provide positive support for recovery, inspire doctors and nurses, provide a bonding experience for everyone involved, and more. You’re behavior is the equivalent of stepping in a hospital and pressuring your sick uncle to die! You’re relentlessly putting forth a “pull the plug” argument, complaining about his health, providing him with dire statistics, etc. You’re insulting the staff and deterring them from helping, too. Nobody in real life does this and… Read more »
My original post was about voting and not loved ones in a hospital. I don’t where you are coming from but fill me in…I am all ears
“I am a card carrying Illinois Defeatist and I was from the womb since the state has been run so poorly for much of my existence” You’re not alone apparently. In 2013 a Gallup Poll found that Illinois was the state most despised by its OWN residents. Fully 25% of respondents said it was “the worst place to live” in the country. No other state came close (Rhode Island and Connecticut were tied for 2nd, with 17% saying they were the worst). Moreover, Illinois was the ONLY state in which “worst place to live” respondents outnumbered the combined percentage of… Read more »
There is a strong majority against illegal immigration. But our problem is that the progressive wing of the Democrat party is in control. And realistically, Republicans will never be elected in our state to fix the problem, we need Democrats within their own party need to ‘fix’ the problem and hold their leaders accountable. I’m not a Democrat and I’m never going to start voting Democrat. And Democrats themselves they’ve shown near Zero ability to do this. Sure, there is the will to hold them accountable, but no real way to do it outside of the ballot box, and there’s… Read more »
On the plus side, if immigration is the top issue come 2024, Dems have no chance. Independents know which party keeps the borders wide open. Dems might get away with blaming Trump for other things, but not on immigration.
The elephant in the room is mail-in ballot and ballot harvesting, all straight ticket Democrat. Few independents are switching their votes. Races are about turnout. Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 with fewer votes than Mitt Romney in 2012. Because Democrats didn’t show up. But now Democrats show up. Every election. Straight ticket Democrat. Which is how Dems just won all but one statewide election in WI since 2018. In Illinois, JB Pritzker increased Democrat turnout from 2014 to 2018 and into 2022 by 800,000 votes. 800,000 straight ticket Democrat votes. If you think Democrats are just going to not show… Read more »
“Few independents are switching their votes.”
Actually. I believe there are many independents that regret how they voted in 2020 and 2022.
You can believe this, but that belies the voting patterns.
I would argue we have not had a legit election in Illinois in 100 years.
As for why it’s quite simple. The progs haven’t run out of other people’s money — yet.