Li Arellano | Li Arellano For State Senate / Facebook
Li Arellano | Li Arellano For State Senate / Facebook
Li Arellano, a candidate for the 37th State Senate District, has delivered a sharp critique of Democrats, blaming them for what she calls a "humanitarian crisis" caused by declaring Illinois a ‘sanctuary state’ and Chicago a "sanctuary city." According to Arellano, the recent allocation of substantial funds to address the migrant crisis is merely an attempt by Democrats to rectify problems they have themselves instigated.
“Gov. Pritzker and liberal Chicago mayors created a humanitarian crisis by declaring Illinois to be a ‘sanctuary state’ and Chicago to be a ‘sanctuary city’; now they are spending hundreds of millions as they desperately try to fix the problems they created,” Arellano said on Facebook.
“Meanwhile, families that have never seen a cold winter answered the call to Chicago only to get stuffed into police stations, the airport, and tent cities. In Winter!
“This was never empathy; it was politics.”
“It’s bankrupting our state both morally and financially. We need elected officials in Springfield who can push back powerfully on this problem and help get our state turned around, and that is exactly what I will do. We should be so much better than this.”
In mid-November, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced $160 million in new funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) aimed at addressing Chicago’s migrant crisis. The city currently hosts more than 21,000 asylum seekers residing in shelters, police stations or O’Hare International Airport.
The allocated funding includes $30 million for an intake and welcome center designed to streamline services and reduce delays. An additional $65 million is set aside for winterized tent basecamps capable of accommodating up to 2,000 migrants for six months. A further $65 million will expand support services such as legal aid and work permit assistance.
This decision followed closely on the heels of the Chicago City Council's approval of Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2024 budget plan which allocates $150 million for migrants - enough to cover only a few months of estimated costs. Pritzker urged swift action to prevent people from freezing on Chicago’s streets with winter approaching and highlighted the state’s collaboration with the city on this humanitarian effort, CBS News reported.
However, this generous public assistance provided to undocumented immigrants by both the Chicago City Council and the State of Illinois has stirred discontent within the city’s Black community. Earlier this year, a city council meeting witnessed concerns being raised about the influx of migrants in traditionally Black communities and the perceived neglect of local residents. This led to debates over resource allocation and the city’s handling of the situation.
Chicago resident Jessica Jackson voiced her criticism of the Chicago City Council for allocating more resources to incoming migrants than to long-term residents and taxpayers in need. "In the words of Malcolm X, we have been hoodwinked, run amuck, bamboozled, by sitting here thinking that these Black politicians are helping us," Jackson said.
The 37th State Senate District comprises Lee, Bureau, Henry, DeKalb, Ogle, Rock Island, Whiteside, Stark, Peoria, Woodford and Marshall counties. The district is currently represented by State Sen. Win Stoller (R-Germantown Hills) who announced in August that he would not be seeking a third term.
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