Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Wednesday issued an emergency proclamation declaring a disaster in every Illinois county “to ensure all state resources are available to support asylum seekers arriving nearly daily to Chicago from the State of Texas,” as stated in his press release.
“The proclamation,” as the press release says, “enables the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and other state agencies, in close coordination with the City of Chicago, Cook County, and other local governments, to ensure the individuals and families receive the assistance they need. This includes transport, emergency shelter and housing, food, health screenings, medical assessments, treatments, and other necessary care and services.”
The disaster was triggered by Texas, Pritzker and Lightfoot say, because Texas bussed about 500 undocumented immigrants to Chicago. The first three paragraphs of the proclamation likewise blame Texas, which it says bussed the immigrants to Chicago “with little or no notice.” That’s a claim frequently made by Pritzker as well as Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, who joined Pritzker at his press conference announcing the order.
How anybody could make that claim with a straight face is beyond imagination.
Some 77,000 undocumented immigrants, not 500, already should be expected to have arrived in Illinois from last year alone. That’s the state’s share, based on population, of the two million known to have crossed the Mexican border last year. Chicago’s share alone would be 17,000 for the year.
Over 400,000 undocumented migrants were already in Illinois in 2019 – before the current surge under the Biden Administration, under which nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants have arrived, setting records.
Pritzker and Lightfoot never objected to a thing about how Biden handles the border. Instead, they’ve proudly made Illinois and Chicago sanctuaries for undocumented immigrants.
But Illinois is surprised and angered by the arrival of 500?
They are blaming Texas for a crisis of their own making.
Adding to the hypocrisy, President Biden just recently asked Congress for another $1.8 billion to shuttle undocumented immigrants around the country and assist them. Somehow, however, we are supposed to be shocked that Texas sent 500. Lightfoot said Chicago was experiencing a “manufactured crisis by ambush.” Pritzker says the buses were a “heartless display of politics over people” and that Illinois “will not stoop to [Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s] level.”
The irony in that 500 number is what’s most disturbing.
Just this week, Chicago recorded its 500th homicide for the year. The victim, who had a 5-year-old daughter and an 11-month-old son, was shot at least nine times as he left his mother’s home.
Yet there is no emergency attitude toward crime in Illinois. Nor has any legislation or any measure of any significance come out of Springfield to address crime.
Pritzker is calling up 75 members of the Illinois National Guard as part of his emergency measures.
Where was that call in 2020 when riots consumed Chicago? Where is that call now to help suppress unchecked violent crime that’s destroying the city?
Where is the emergency mentality needed to address failed schools in Chicago and much of the rest of Illinois? When has Pritzker or the General Assembly even acknowledged that failure?
It’s not that Illinois is wrong to assist asylum seekers. The immigrants have the compassion of most Illinoisans, as they should, and assistance no doubt has support, as it should. Most of the subject immigrants were apprehended in Texas and requested asylum, leaving them legally free to stay in the country until their case is heard. Like it or not, that’s the system we have.
But Pritzker and Lightfoot apparently think you won’t remember that three years ago they expressed pride that Chicago was already named the “most immigrant-friendly” city in America.
That wasn’t enough so more assistance followed. Subsequently, Pritzker authorized $30 million of immigrant welcoming centers around the state. Last year he signed three bills in a single day to further assist immigrants.
Lightfoot also long ago made assistance to undocumented immigrants a priority. The long list of those measures is here.
How, despite those measures, can there now be a disaster requiring emergency rule?
Pritzker has once again invoked the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act which he used for Covid and his emergency rules for that remain in place today.
We warned earlier about Pritzker’s probable motive for litigating so tenaciously to defend his emergency Covid orders, even after the science supporting them had been discredited. He was anxious to set a legal and political precedent for broad emergency rule. He had already used it again, declaring Monkeypox a statewide health emergency last month.
It was about power hoarding, in other words. He got away with it so now he has a green light to do as he feels by proclaiming a disaster for whatever issue he chooses to elevate and personally dominate. Global warming might well be next. Why wouldn’t it be, given that mass extinction is at hand if we don’t cool the planet, as Illinois’ ruling class claims?
Most Americans know full well what’s at the center of the illegal immigration crisis: The Mexican border is not enforced. A majority characterize it an “invasion.” Two-thirds disapprove of Biden’s handling of immigration, according to his own pollster.
Latino’s voters agree. Latinos who want the border closed exceed those who don’t by well over two-to-one.
Yet there’s never a word about Biden’s border policy from Pritzker, Lightfoot, Preckwinkle and their allies.
Part of Pritzker’s motive may be getting more cash from the federal government. Illinois Congressman “Chuy” Garcia (D-Chicago) is already on that. “Playing politics with the lives of these immigrants is dehumanizing and cruel, but not unexpected from the xenophobic, fearmongering politics of Gov. Abbot,” Garcia said in a statement requesting federal money. “While Chicago remains committed to welcoming these new arrivals, we must ensure their food, shelter and other basic needs are covered.”
But this stinks of Pritzker’s presidential ambitions, which is probably his greatest motive. He has staked out the position as the progressives’ “flamethrower,” as described in a recent, glowing column in Vanity Fair. His presidential teaser speech in Miami was more hateful and divisive than even President Biden’s recent national address. It’s all designed to appeal to the far left that dominates Democratic primaries.
Kicking Abbott around helps with that as well, earning gratitude from Democrats nationally who are doing the same, hopeful Abbott will lose the competitive race he’s in for reelection.
Exploit compassion for undocumented migrants, blame Texas for a crisis created at the border by his own party, apply maximum hypocrisy and use emergency powers for political grandstanding. That’s what this is about, and it probably will work with Pritzker’s intended audience, his base on the left.