More than 10,000 illegals have reportedly entered Chicago since August. And as the city's police stations, elementary schools, and universities fill up with the migrants President Joe Biden continues to welcome into the country at a record pace, the city council has ignored the objections of many Chicagoans and voted 34-13 to approve a $51 million allocation.
Ira Mehlman, a spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), points out that Chicago already has "all kinds of needs."
"It's crime-ridden; it's got homelessness. It's got all sorts of things that need to be attended to," he says. "They have a failed school system. There's a lot of things you can do with $51 million, but they have chosen to do this … and they're going to have to live with the consequences of their decisions."
But while $51 million is an exorbitant sum, he says it is a pittance compared to the $4.2 billion New York City is budgeting to accommodate the illegal migrants over the next year or so.
"All of these sanctuary jurisdictions are having to put their money where their mouths have been," Mehlman submits. "They don't have the money, which means that the money is either going to come from higher taxes, or it's going to come out of services and benefits that a lot of people in these big cities need."
Meanwhile, more than a dozen state governors have agreed to send resources to the southern border to combat the ongoing crisis.
Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) sent a letter asking all the governors in the U.S. to send any police and soldiers they could spare to help secure the Texas-Mexico border. So far, 14 red states have responded.
"All of these 14 states recognize that under this administration, they're actually border states themselves, whether they abut Mexico or not, because the people who come across the border are winding up everywhere in the country," Mehlman explains. "It is imposing burdens everywhere."
He calls this development "an ounce of prevention" that will accrue benefits down the line, but it is still not the best way to handle the situation.
"We shouldn't have to have state governors dispatching troops to the border. We should have an administration that does its job and protects all 50 states," the FAIR spokesman contends.
Each governor has committed their own number of reinforcements to the border. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, for example, has committed 1,100 National Guard soldiers and law enforcement personnel.
"States must now step up where the president has failed to repel illegals, fight the cartels, and stop human and drug trafficking," Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. "Arkansans have always been quick to step up when others are in need – this time is no different."
