The city of Chicago and the state of Illinois are set to split more than $19 million in new congressionally approved funding released to assist cities and states in addressing the migrant crisis, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin announced Friday.
The Department of Homeland Security released the first installment of $300 million in grants to support communities providing services to migrants, federal officials said Friday. The funds come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
An allocation of $275 million will be distributed first and the remaining $25 million will be allocated later in the year, officials said in the announcement.
The initial funding will be available to 55 grant recipients for temporary shelter and other eligible costs associated with migrants awaiting the outcome of their immigration proceedings.
Additionally, the department will provide $340.9 million through the shelter and services program-competitive grant program to be allocated before the end of this fiscal year, the announcement said.
Durbin, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, celebrated the move by President Joe Biden’s administration. He said that the funding will ease the struggle Chicago is facing but added that he will continue to push for more.
“Asylum-seekers have been subjected to cruel — and even unknowing — relocation at the whim of Gov. Greg Abbott and Republicans’ inhumane agenda. We need to uphold our country’s commitment as a welcoming nation for migrants, and that requires federal assistance,” Durbin said in a statement. “While I welcome this funding, it’s not enough to properly provide our city with the resources we need — and I’ll keep pushing for more funding to help our city and state.”
Nearly 39,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, have arrived in Chicago since August 2022, when the Texas governor began sending busloads of new migrants directly to sanctuary cities in part to protest Biden’s border policies.
State and city leaders have pressed Biden to make additional resources available, including funding and expedited work permits for the new migrants.
