Videos released on Monday depict a distressing scene in Chicago as police departments repurpose sections of their station houses to accommodate the increasing number of illegal migrants arriving daily from the Southern border.
Independent photojournalist Rebecca Brannon documented the situation, capturing footage of migrants sleeping in police stations, enduring issues such as bed bugs, illnesses, and shortages of food and basic healthcare.
Brannon’s interviews with the migrants revealed their uncertainty about where they would go next, with some having been there for days or even weeks. She visited eight local police departments and discovered that they were solely reliant on donations from local residents or volunteers to handle the influx of migrants.
Shockingly, a police source, speaking anonymously, disclosed that they were receiving no assistance from the City or Government, forcing them to personally support those in need by purchasing food and baby wipes.
Footage taken by @RebsBrannon shows immigrants making camp in and outside police stations across Chicago. Some stations have made migrants move their belongings and trash outside as to prevent bed bugs from spreading inside the stations. pic.twitter.com/p3N7k5sAve— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 24, 2023
In another video released shortly after, Brannon exposed the dire conditions at another Chicago police station, where trash bags and belongings of migrants were scattered around.
According to Brannon’s sources, the 12th Precinct has hosted over 100 migrants at various times, while the 14th District has been unable to provide enough indoor space, leaving some men to sleep outside.
Mayor Brandon Johnson addressed the public outside the 12th District and expressed his commitment to welcoming new arrivals and asylum seekers, stating that the city would never close its doors to those seeking a better life.
“Yesterday, I visited the 12th District to meet with new arrivals and asylum seekers. We will never close our doors to those who are here in search of a better life. All our partners, including non-profits & government agencies, are coming together to gather resources,” he lamented.
Moreover, the mayor also assured the public that all partners, including non-profits and government agencies, were collaborating to gather resources to address the situation. However, Mayor Johnson attributed the influx to politicians seeking political gain.
The situation in Chicago is further compounded by the busing of hundreds of migrants from Texas in recent months. Texas Governor Greg Abbott questioned Chicago’s ability to handle the influx, highlighting the strain on smaller Texas border communities that have had to manage even larger numbers in a single day.
“If Chicago can’t deal with 8,000 in less than a year, how are small Texas border communities supposed to manage 13,000 in just one day?” Texas governor Greg Abbott said in his response to a letter written by former Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot, who claimed that the city had exhausted its resources to address the needs of the 8,000 migrants.
Reports from late April indicated that the city of Chicago was already grappling with a significant budget shortfall of $53 million, even before the pandemic-era policy Title 42 expired.
