Chicago residents furious over city's approval of migrant funding
Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell joined 'The Faulkner Focus' to discuss the outrage in Chicago stemming from the $70 million proposal and the growing concern for police officers' safety as they serve in the line of duty.
Chicago residents are furious at Mayor Brandon Johnson and the city council for approving a $70 million proposal to bolster the city's sanctuary city resources, and some think the outrage could favor Republicans in November.
Fox News political analyst Gianno Caldwell, who grew up in the Windy City, argued that residents will be voting for President Trump in droves during "The Faulkner Focus," stemming from their anger over the city prioritizing migrants over their citizens.
"They are doing the right thing by saying we're coming directly for your seats, including you, Mayor Brandon Johnson," Caldwell told host Harris Faulkner on Tuesday. "[Johnson's] message to Chicagoans has been quite clear. Get on the back of the bus. Now that's everybody, but especially those Black voters who are the reason he's mayor today. Get on the back of the bus."
BLACK CHICAGO VOTERS RIP MAYOR ON EXTRA $70M FOR MIGRANTS AS RECALL PETITION GATHERS STEAM
"These voters in Chicago... I speak to a lot of them pretty regularly. Pretty weekly. They're serious about voting for Trump. They're serious about handing the election in Illinois to Donald Trump, as you only need 20% of Cook County, which is within Chicago," he continued.
"For many of the Chicagoans there, they've been destitute for many, many years with services from the city. Since I was a kid, 14 years old, working in politics, people have been asking for help and resources, and they say they didn't have any until now."
The Chicago City Council on Friday green-lit an extra $70 million for the care of illegal immigrants in the Windy City despite a massive backlash from residents that foreign nationals are being prioritized over native Chicagoans.
The council voted 30-18 to approve the request made by Mayor Brandon Johnson in order to help deal with the ongoing migrant crisis it is facing. CBS News reported that the vote, which came after an hour of heated debate, accompanied an approval of $48 million in grant money from state and federal governments.
"We are so angry with Pritzker and with President Biden and with our mayor that we have decided that we are going to vote Republican this time around," Cata Truss, a lifelong Chicago resident told Faulkner in February. "That's just how angry we are. We are so angry that we are willing and going to turn our backs on the Democratic Party."
According to Johnson’s office, the city has, at its peak, been dealing with more than 2,000 migrants coming in a week. Nearly 40,000 have arrived since August 2022. The mayor has also been calling for more funding, national coordination of resettlement and faster employment documents.
However, residents showed up in force at a City Council meeting on Wednesday to protest the request for more funding ahead of the vote, with furious residents accusing the government of prioritizing funds to migrants that should be going to residents.
"Vote for the money for these immigrants today, and we [are] coming for them seats," one resident warned during the fiery meeting. Caldwell noted that in Denver, advocates for migrants said six months of free housing and food offered by the city was insufficient.
"But you turn that same mirror on in Chicago, and they see folks in their neighborhoods, places where they used to send their kids so they can be safe. Park districts, a number of different entities that have been taken over by the migrant class and people are upset, and rightfully so," said Caldwell, whose 18-year-old brother was killed in a June 2022 shooting on the South Side.
"I think we should be watching very closely what's going to happen in the DNC, because that message right there before the election is going to resonate very clear about how Chicagoans are feeling about the Democratic Party, especially bringing the migrants to the city, but many other issues like crime and others."
Fox News' Garrett Tenney, Adam Shaw and Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
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