Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday called on President Biden to take “swift action” to address the federal government’s “lack of intervention and coordination” at the southern border.
Pritzker, in a letter to the 80-year-old president demanding federal assistance, said the influx of immigrants has created an “unsustainable situation for Illinois.”
“Unfortunately, the welcome and assistance that Illinois has provided to these asylum seekers has not been matched by support from the federal government,” Pritzker wrote. “Most critically, the federal government’s lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an unsustainable situation for Illinois.”
Some 15,000 immigrants have sapped Illinois’ resources in the 13 months since the first bus of asylum seekers arrived from Texas, Pritzker said.
Pritzker noted that his state has spent more than $330 million to provide humanitarian aid to migrants, in addition to more than $100 million provided by the city of Chicago, but is struggling to handle the influx of asylum seekers.
Some 15,000 immigrants have overwhelmed state resources in Illinois. TNS via Getty Images
“While we have found temporary housing in existing buildings for the majority of refugees, we are challenged to find additional housing for the continuing flow of people who continue to arrive and are now forced to sleep in police stations and on sidewalks,” Pritzker wrote. “This situation is unsustainable and requires your immediate help beyond the upcoming work authorization for some of the asylum seekers.”
“There is much more that can and should be done at the federal level to address a national humanitarian crisis that state and local governments are currently enduring without support.”
Pritzker’s letter to Biden contains a list of recommendations for how the federal government can help states reeling from the crisis at the southern border, including a suggestion that the president name a key person to handle the emergency. migratory.
A small child plays with a doll as newly arrived immigrants sit on cots and on the floor of a city-operated makeshift shelter at O’Hare International Airport on Aug. 31, 2023. TNS via Getty Images
“First, I recommend that there be someone in the federal government who works directly for you in the White House who can lead oversight of our nation’s efforts at the border,” Pritzker wrote.
“Right now, we have too many different contacts in federal departments, that are not coordinated with each other, that manage various programs related to this humanitarian crisis. A single office with an identified leader should be assigned to work for cities and states across all silos of government to manage the challenges we all face,” he said.
Pritzker also recommended that the Biden administration take a “much more active role” in transporting migrants out of border states, arguing that it is unfair that a state like Texas can choose which cities to bus migrants to.
Pritzker’s letter includes a list of recommendations for the Biden administration on how to handle the immigration crisis. wire image
“It cannot be that only a few cities and states must now bear the cost of this effort alone,” he argued.
The governor also called on Biden to waive fees for immigrants applying for temporary protected status, provide financial support to states, local governments and non-governmental organizations for temporary housing, food and social services for immigrants, expedite the timeline for employment authorization for immigrants and approve Illinois applications for Medicaid waivers and housing vouchers.
“Mr. President, I urge you, Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas and the rest of his administration take swift action and intervene on behalf of us and the other affected states and their residents, as well as on behalf of the tens of thousands of asylum seekers who undertook a dangerous and difficult journey in hopes of achieve public safety and build a better life for themselves and their families,” Pritzker’s letter concludes.
Like Pritzker, New York City Mayor Eric Adams has asked the White House for help for months to confront the immigration crisis, arguing that it will cost the Big Apple $12 billion over three years to handle the increase.
“There is no leadership here,” Adams told several Biden administration advisers while in Washington, D.C., last October, asking for federal help for the crisis, according to CNN.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn