Gary Grosso, Mayor of Burr Ridge (United States), strongly criticized the Governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, and the Mayor of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, for not notifying him of the arrival of dozens of migrants sent from Texaswho were relocated to said suburb.
The undocumented immigrants, mostly Venezuelans, were transferred to a hotel in Burr Ridge, a plan that Mayor Grosso was not prepared for, according to what he said. Univision News.
“We had no idea about this. We are going to face it and make sure migrants feel welcome and safe, but neither the city of Chicago nor the state told us. The mayor of Chicago complained that Texas didn’t give her notice, and that happened to me,” she commented.
After this, Governor Pritzker sent a letter apologizing to the local president. And he claimed that the lodging place was contracted as an emergency shelter. This is because the shelters in Chicago no longer have the capacity to continue protecting them.
However, Gary Grosso stressed that the arrival of these migrants cannot affect the rights of the communities and residents of Illinois. Although many of the people who came to the community hope to have the opportunity to start working.
“They told us that they were going to give us information for employment and we are waiting for what they tell us about that,” said Jackson Medina, a Venezuelan immigrant.
Sending migrants from Texas to Chicago caused annoyance between authorities in Illinois and Burr Ridge
On the other hand, the authorities try to better prepare for the arrival of more groups of migrants to the state of Illinois, from Texas. Therefore, the Department of Health and Human Services has dedicated itself to obtaining dozens of hotel rooms in which undocumented immigrants can be accommodated.
“They ask us [en Texas] if we have a destination and if not, they recommend us to go to Chicago. And that they will give us help there,” said Alejandro Linares, from Venezuela.
It should be noted that the governor of Illinois assured that all the immigrants who have relocated have undergone a background check and medical examinations.
? Dozens of migrants who were sent from Texas to Chicago were relocated to a hotel in the suburb of Burr Ridge, Illinois, an action that was harshly criticized by the mayor of that community. https://t.co/tvvKzwTRPC
– Univision News (@UniNoticias) September 18, 2022