December 4, 2024
Brandon Johnson Called ‘Worst Mayor In America’ By Some Chicago Residents As They Protest Migrant Spending
Do the residents have a point?
During a city council meeting, Chicago residents ripped into Mayor Brandon Johnson, calling him the “worst mayor in America” due to his massive migrant spending, Fox News reports.
The city’s New Arrivals Mission — a program providing shelter to migrants — has cost the Windy City $574.5 million since it was adopted in August 2022. In the meantime, Johnson faces the task of trying to overcome a $1 billion budget shortfall by the end of 2024. Residents who attended the open meeting on Dec. 2 took the time to express their concerns about the way Johnson is operating, including their opposition to the idea of an approximate $60 million property tax increase as a way to close the gap.
One resident said “cutting off illegals” is a great way to start. “I got a great way what we can do with this budget. First, let’s start with cutting off illegals getting free everything: free housing, free schooling, free food. Yeah, let’s start with that. That’ll save us a lot of money,” the unidentified woman said to Johnson.
“Let’s start there. Then, let’s start with you. Your salary. You are going down in history as the worst mayor in America. Let’s start with cutting yours. You’re making too much money.”
It didn’t stop there. An 80-year-old woman sporting an afro compared policies handed down by Johnson’s administration to those in the Jim Crow era. She started her speech by calling the mayor “a disgrace.” “All I can say to you is you are a disgrace. I’m an 80-year-old woman, and I’ve never seen anything like this. I grew up in the Jim Crow South, and the policies that you’re passing in this city remind me of the Jim Crow South. I had to drink out of a colored water foundation while the whites drank out of a white water foundation,” she said.
“But you know what I didn’t have to worry about? Going back to my community and it would be destroyed, and everybody else is in my community but Black people. And this is what you’ve done with this immigration.”
Another resident who admitted to once being an illegal immigrant spoke out on behalf of people who work, pay taxes, and contribute to the city. She claimed to be “very, very embarrassed” over what fellow Latin American citizens have done. “I like to make clear that not everyone is the same. These people came with a wide door open, and they feel entitled to many things that nobody has. There are U.S. citizens suffering from poverty,” she said.
“There are U.S. citizens on public aid, and these people are here just enjoying the benefits, becoming delinquents, and they have no consequences.”
In April 2024, Johnson’s office sent a reminder to residents about the influx of thousands of migrants that were sent to Chicago by Texas’ Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. “The City of Chicago, in partnership with the State of Illinois and Cook County, has worked to support new arrivals on the path to self-sufficiency by providing basic necessities, including food, temporary emergency shelter, urgent medical care, education, vaccines, and case management and resettlement supports,” the office said at the time, according to the Washington Examiner.
Despite the New Arrivals Mission shelter system being phased out by the end of 2024 and cries from residents, Johnson has continued to push a commitment to help asylum seekers. “This is an ongoing dynamic that really requires progressive, bold leadership at this moment,” he said.
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