Chicago residents didn't hold back their frustration at a recent City Council meeting, directly challenging Mayor Brandon Johnson's allocation of over half a billion dollars to migrant shelters while the city grapples with a substantial budget deficit. The New Arrivals Mission, a program established in August 2022, has incurred costs of $574.5 million, a figure that has drawn sharp criticism as the mayor seeks to address a $1 billion budget shortfall. One proposed solution, a property tax hike of approximately $60 million, further fueled residents' anger.
During the meeting, one resident pointedly addressed Johnson, advocating for cuts to migrant support, including housing, education, and food, as a starting point for budget savings. She went on to criticize his leadership and salary, labeling him the "worst mayor in America." Another resident, identifying herself as a legal immigrant, expressed embarrassment over the actions of other Latin American individuals in the city, highlighting the burden on taxpayers and the struggles of U.S. citizens facing poverty and relying on public assistance.
A third resident questioned Johnson's attentiveness, interpreting his lack of eye contact as a sign of poor leadership. The mayor's office has previously stated that the New Arrivals Mission aims to provide temporary shelter while addressing the humanitarian crisis and developing long-term strategies for managing displacement and migration patterns. They emphasized that Chicago has received the third-highest number of asylum seekers among major U.S. cities, following New York City and Denver, with close to 39,000 arrivals since August 2022.
The city's partnership with the State of Illinois and Cook County has focused on providing essential resources like food, shelter, medical care, education, and resettlement support to new arrivals. However, the New Arrivals Mission shelter system is slated for phase-out by the end of the year, a decision attributed to the declining migration rate and budgetary constraints. Johnson explained this transition as a move towards a more cost-effective and equitable approach to addressing homelessness citywide.
As of the time of the original reporting, Mayor Johnson's office had not responded to a request for comment.
