How is the so-called bleeding heart, liberal leadership of Chicago tackling its immigration problem? By literally paying migrants to leave. The Chicago Tribune reported the state of Illinois has spent over $620,000 “on travel tickets and taxi fares to airports, trains or bus stations” for migrants to leave the state. City and state officials claim they are leaving “to connect with family and friends” elsewhere; a term they fabricated and call “diversion and outmigration.”
At least 3,194 individuals have received financial support from the state of Illinois to reunite with friends and family in other states and U.S. cities since mid-November, according to state data provided to the Tribune on February 14. “Using these funds to quickly connect new arrivals with their next step is significantly cheaper than moving people into shelters. The state plans to continue using funds in this way for the foreseeable future,” said Daisy Contreras, a spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Ironically, despite the state’s ‘care and consideration’ for their “diversion and outmigration” program, the state could not provide specific information about migrants’ final destinations.
The Chicago Tribune notes that due partly to the outmigration efforts, the number of migrants staying in city-run shelters has declined rapidly in recent weeks. As of Wednesday, the city reported there were nearly 12,400 residents in 24 active shelters run by the city, state and O’Hare International Airport, down from the more than 15,000 migrants staying in 27 city-run shelters at its peak in mid-December.
The Tribune report adds: State and city officials have been struggling to come up with the funds to house thousands of migrants. In his spending plan unveiled Wednesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker proposed spending an additional $182 million on the migrant response during the state budget year that begins July 1.