Chicago Democrat has 'lost patience' with Biden amid migrant crisis: 'Left us in the ditch'

A Democratic Chicago alderman vented his frustrations regarding the Biden administration's handling of the ongoing migrant crisis on Friday, calling their response "unacceptable."

 admitting he has "lost patience" with the Biden administration.

During an appearance on "CNN News Central," Chicago 2nd Ward Alderman Brian Hopkins was asked what his message was to the Biden administration as it continues negotiations with the Mexican government regarding immigration.

"I have to be optimistic. You know, I'm a Democrat, but I'll say the Biden administration has absolutely dropped the ball. I'm not going to let them off the hook," Hopkins said. "They have left us in the ditch with this and that's unacceptable."

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas were among the officials in the U.S. delegation to Mexico City who met with Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador on Wednesday. The meeting came amid a historic crisis at the border, with December on track to shatter records for migrant encounters.

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Migrants take part in a caravan towards the border with the United States in Tapachula, Chiapas State, Mexico, on December 24, 2023.  (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

In a joint statement, the countries affirmed their commitments to "orderly, humane and regular migration" and stressed their efforts to tackle "root causes" of migration, disrupt human smuggling and promote private investment while also investing in "ambitious development programs" in the region.

Hopkins said that while the recent talks are "encouraging," Chicago, which has spent $300 million of its own funds to address the issue, needed to see this kind of movement by the federal government a year ago. He also claimed that the crisis has gone from a "trickle" to a "torrent."

"Where's the federal government been? Where has the Biden administration been? You know, it's not too late to do the right thing but every day that goes by while we let the border remain open and while we let cities try to address this humanitarian crisis, it gets worse by the day," Hopkins said. 

"I've lost patience, as you could probably tell," he added. 

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Jose Antonio Hernandez, a Venezuelan migrant and barber, cuts the hair of fellow migrant Francisco Ramos at an encampment outside the 2nd District Chicago police station on Oct. 17, 2023. ((Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images))

Hopkins was not the first Chicago politician to appear on-air to discuss the migrant crisis in recent days. 

On Wednesday, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson joined CNN to discuss the surge of migrants into the sanctuary city. He argued that leaders in his state and around the country need to work together in a more "coordinated" approach that is backed by "significant" financial support from the Biden administration.

"[W]ithout real significant investment from our federal government, it won't just be the city of Chicago that won't be able to maintain this mission; it's the entire country that is now at stake," Johnson said.

Over 20,000 migrants have appeared in the Windy City since August 2022, Fox32 Chicago has reported.

A group of migrants who arrived on a bus from Texas in summer 2022 are given cheeseburgers as they prepare to take a CTA bus to a Salvation Army shelter in Chicago.  (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images))

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The Biden administration has requested $14 billion for border funding as part of its supplemental funding request to Congress. Republicans have demanded that the package include restrictions on the use of humanitarian parole and stricter asylum standards — something the administration has reportedly been open to, but has been met with resistance from some Democrats.

Over the four-day Christmas weekend, there were more than 35,000 migrant encounters. Since Dec. 1, there have been over 270,000 migrant encounters at the southern border — breaking the monthly record for encounters set in September (269,735).