Chicago, a sanctuary city, has signed a whopping $29.4 million contract with private security company GardaWorld Federal Services to build massive winterized camps with tents for illegal migrants. The one-year deal involves GardaWorld being responsible for constructing, staffing, and running the tents, which must have the capacity to accommodate between 250 and 1,400 migrants.
Chicago Signs Nearly $30 Million Contract To Build Giant Winterized Tent Camps For Migrants https://t.co/w6mKQTKqVG pic.twitter.com/jpknz6IOJn
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) September 21, 2023
Source reports indicate that the Windy City is grappling with a migrant crisis, and desperately scrambling for long-term solutions to the problem. Chicago has approximately 13,500 illegal migrants on its hands and has already expended at least $250 million on the issue.
Mayor Brandon Johnson made known earlier this month his proposal to build huge migrant tents with the aid of GardaWorld. These tents will reportedly have “yurt” structures that can hold up to 12 cots each and be equipped with fire extinguishers and portable restrooms; makeshift kitchens will be set up in proximity to them. The tents will also reportedly feature laundry services, three square meals a day, security, all-day childcare, and transportation to doctor’s appointments.
Purposefully, sources claim that the contract was signed “to allow the City to purchase from the State Contract, temporary housing solutions and related services, to provide critical services to asylum seekers.” The exact timeline of the tent-building process and their specific locations are still not known, but the city’s press secretary, Ronnie Reese, made it clear that the tents should be ready before it gets too cold.
Recent reports reveal that the arriving migrants have been homed in Chicago’s police stations and the city’s two airports, a move that has irked many in the city, especially those in the South Side. Other council members are also displeased with the idea, with one alderman stating that he believes vacancies on the South Side should be set up for Chicago residents and not new migrants.
Chicago is not the only city in the United States battling with a migrant crisis. New York City is also grappling with trying to accommodate 113,000 illegal immigrants who have arrived since last summer. NYC also set up tent shelters for illegal migrants last year but ran into problems, such as shelter flooding.
Chicago officials have been begging the federal government for help with the migrant crisis, as they claim that they cannot handle it alone. “Let me state this clearly: the city of Chicago cannot go on welcoming new arrivals safely and capably without significant support and immigration policy changes,” Johnson said in late August. However, the federal government has already rendered assistance, granting Chicago and Illinois at least $8.5 million for the migrant crisis.
Several Chicago residents on the South Side have expressed frustration with the city’s use of money, spending millions of dollars on illegal migrants instead of helping their own communities.
