A suburb outside of Chicago, Naperville, is considering allowing residents to sign up to host migrants in their homes. Naperville Councilman Josh McBroom proposed the idea during a city council meeting, stating that they have a “very affluent community” with many big homes. McBroom suggested creating a sign-up sheet for individuals willing to house migrant families and raising awareness to find out who would be willing to do so. The city council has not made any final decisions or taken any action on the issue yet.
In Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healey previously asked residents to consider sponsoring migrant families by hosting them in their homes as the state’s shelter system reached capacity. Elon Musk, owner of X, warned that the government could potentially force residents to house migrants in their homes if they run out of shelter and hotel space. This warning came after New York City moved migrants from a shelter to a public high school during a storm, causing the school to close temporarily.
Another Chicago suburb, Oak Brook, has experienced a rise in crimes committed by migrants. The police chief revealed that nearly 40 migrants had been arrested in the area from October to mid-January, mostly for property crimes. Chicago estimates that around 38,000 migrants have arrived in the city over the past 18 months, with many more going to other Democratic-led cities like New York and Denver. Democratic city leaders have blamed Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott for the influx of migrants, claiming that he is sending them to sanctuary destinations.
The Biden administration is facing criticism for its handling of the border crisis, with House Republicans seeking to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. Under President Biden’s watch, the number of border encounters has significantly increased each year, reaching 3.2 million apprehensions in the 2023 fiscal year. Republicans argue that Border Patrol agents have been pulled off patrol to process large groups, leaving parts of the border without security.
