"We are not taking care of our own."

That was the message coming from at least one alderman on the Chicago City Council this week as they prepared to advance a proposal from the mayor to spend another $70 million on shelter and support for migrants that have overwhelmed the city's resources. Alderman Chris Taliaferro of the 29th Ward attempted to warn the members that there are too many legal residents of the city, particularly in poorer, minority communities who are being left behind. He declared that the Mayor and many members of the Council have "all but forgotten" the Black and Hispanic residents on the West Side and the South Side. His warnings didn't have much of an effect, unfortunately. The measure passed out of the budget committee by a wide margin and will now be taken up by the full City Council. (Fox News)

A Democratic alderman in Chicago warned city leaders that they are neglecting their own citizens by voting to pass Mayor Brandon Johnson's request for an additional $70 million to help care for migrants who have arrived in the city.

The budget committee voted 20-8 on Monday to advance the proposal to the full City Council after a lengthy debate.

"We are not taking care of our own," Ald. Chris Taliaferro of the 29th Ward said during the meeting. "We have all but forgotten the residents on the West Side and South Side."

Another alderman objected, pointing out that Chicago doesn't have enough money to fund after-school programs or counselors that are supposed to be helping keep young people off the streets and out of the gangs. Many requests for local funding for such projects have been denied over the past year. Yet Chicago poured $150 million into the migrant crisis previously and now they are looking to push that total closer to a quarter billion dollars. 

All of this is happening at the same time that hundreds of migrants are being moved out of shelters at the city's parks. This is part of a commitment that Mayor Brandon Johnson made to reopen the parks and return them to normal public availability in time for the summer season. But the facilities where the migrants had been staying require a great deal of cleaning and repair before they can be safely opened to the public. 

It is currently believed that there were nearly 15,000 migrants staying in Chicago at the beginning of the year, but only 9,700 currently remain in municipal shelters. The rest have either found permanent housing or moved on to other places. The situation is draining the city's coffers and at least some elected officials appear to be running out of patience. Many of them are keenly aware that there are elections coming up and a lot of their voters are unhappy about what's been going on.

Back in January, the city extended the stay of the migrants in the park shelters over concerns that they might wind up outside in the bitter Illinois winter conditions. Nobody had proposed any way to set up permanent housing for all of those people, to say nothing of finding jobs for the ones who managed to qualify for a work permit. From the sound of things, they are no closer to resolving those issues now than they were six months ago. We'll have to see if the legal citizens weigh in on the situation when they go to the polls later this year. Perhaps some changes to the City Council are on the way.