Mayor Brandon Johnson was met with strong opposition from Chicago residents during a Wednesday City Council meeting over his $70 million budget request to support the city’s immigrants and asylum-seekers. One resident has even launched a recall effort.
As a strong supporter of Chicago’s sanctuary city status, Johnson petitioned the city’s aldermen to allocate more funding for immigrants. So far, the city has spent $300 million on housing, food, and healthcare for newcomers. The alderman deferred Johnson’s request and is expected to let the measure stall. However, if approved, the money will be drawn from the city’s assigned fund balance from 2022, according to budget director Annette Guzman.
The city is projected to run a deficit of $1.5 billion this year and $1.9 billion for 2025. Johnson has blamed the city’s financial crisis on
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