Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson confronted a fierce backlash during a city council meeting on Monday from residents who are fed up with his policies on immigration and fiscal management.
The room was filled with shouting Chicago residents voicing their displeasure at Johnson’s approach to these issues. The fracas became so loud that the mayor ordered officers to remove several attendees from the chambers.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on Monday ordered the removal of people from a city council meeting after protests over his actions on issues involving migrants.
The instruction followed the public comment period, during which some people wearing shirts reading “Chicago flips red.”
“Sergeant at arms, please remove these individuals from the chambers,” Mayor Johnson said.
Footage of the meeting does not show what any attendees were doing when the mayor ordered their removal.
One person wearing a “Chicago flips red” shirt, identified as Jessica Jackson, told Mayor Johnson he was going to be “held accountable” for directing money toward migrants, citing an executive order from last year establishing a deputy mayor for “immigrant, migrant and refugee rights.”
“We gonna talk about this budget, about the strange things that’s happening, because again, your name was on this executive order of May 2023, this executive order for immigration, migrants and refugee rights,” Jackson said. “You caused all this money to go to illegal immigrants.”
Under Chicago's Mayor, Johnson ..
— Lawyerforlaws (@lawyer4laws) December 17, 2024
$527.5 Million have been spent on
Migrants since May 2023 ...
The people of Chicago are fed up ..pic.twitter.com/W5Uzg5yzJe
David Mason, another attendee, also lashed out at the mayor for diverting taxpayer funds to illegal immigrants, according to Fox News. “It’s lazy governing…You gave half of the amount of the city’s deficit to illegals,” he said.
Mason brought up up Tom Homan, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for border czar, who has repeatedly warned mayors against protecting illegal immigrants. Mason referred to Homan’s comments, saying, “It is illegal to harbor and conceal illegal immigrants.”
The Windy City’s $16.6 billion budget includes a $40 million short-term loan to delay the repayment of a debt, which also angered attendees.
Another resident named Sharon Abbott slammed Johnson, accusing him of violating his constitutional duties. She argued that “No one appointed a monarch to rule over the people of Chicago” and said, “Your duty is to serve the public, and you are bound by the parameters of the Constitution only to act by the consent of the people.”
Chicago has spent about $574.5 million on illegal immigrants and asylum seekers over recent years as the border crisis continues. One resident noted that the city is “$1.2 billion in the deficit because of this illegal immigration scam” and referred to it as a “Ponzi scheme.”
Johnson continues to face pressure over his migrant policies and his failure to address the continuing influx of illegals into the city. While he has obtained $200 in state and federal funds to deal with the issue, residents feel they have been left behind. This is especially true of Black residents who are struggling.
So when the city reopened Wadsworth last year to shelter hundreds of migrants without seeking community input, it added insult to injury. Across Chicago, Black residents are frustrated that long-standing needs are not being met while the city’s newly arrived are cared for with a sense of urgency, and with their tax dollars.
“Our voices are not valued nor heard,” says Genesis Young, a lifelong Chicagoan who lives near Wadsworth.
Chicago is one of several big American cities grappling with a surge of migrants. The Republican governor of Texas has been sending them by the busload to highlight his grievances with the Biden administration’s immigration policy.
This debate mirrors others occurring in major cities across the country – especially in New York City, where Mayor Eric Adams has struggled to alleviate the impact of the border crisis.