Chicago opens another migrant shelter as tensions rise among political leaders
CHICAGO (CBS) – Pilsen was set to open Chicago's newest migrant shelter with another 10 busloads of asylum seekers expected to arrive in the city on Tuesday.
This comes as Mayor Brandon Johnson and Gov. JB Pritzker put pressure on the White House for help. CBS 2's Sara Machi took a look at the new shelter on South Halsted and the mounting tension between political leaders.
Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) said the shelter was scheduled to open its doors on Tuesday.
But CBS 2's camera caught work still being done late in the afternoon before migrants' arrival.
The plan is to house up to 400 people immediately, with plans to expand to a capacity of 1,000. One problem is that city and state leaders said they never know how many migrants are coming their way, leading to tension between fellow Democrats who are usually aligned.
Pritzker asked for a central federal point person to coordinate transportation from the southern border to the states like Illinois that are taking in migrants.
The governor said in a letter to the president, "The federal government's lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois."
It's a sentiment Johnson took a step further on Tuesday by singling out one state.
"Quite frankly, what we are calling for, and what we have said repeatedly, we have to have better coordination with every single level of government, and that includes the state of Texas," Johnson said.
The White House responded to Pritzker with a list of the ways they have helped, including $46 million in federal grants and accelerated work permit processing, though notably, with no mention of the request for federal oversight on how many migrants ae moved around the country.
CBS 2 cameras were there when the first migrants arrived at the newest shelter Tuesday afternoon.
