【 World Theory 】 US Media: The US government's unfavorable response to the immigration crisis has led to multiple "sheltered cities" facing serious financial crises
On September 20th, China Daily reported that the American city of Chicago announced this week that it is facing a budget deficit of $538 million, largely due to the city's ongoing immigration crisis. This is the latest example of a city that serves as a "shelter" paying heavy economic costs for immigrants to arrive.
Screenshot of Fox News website report
According to the Chicago branch of NBC, the city has at least $200 million in costs from special projects, including immigration care. This report shows that recent estimates suggest that the cost of this crisis is expected to exceed $255 million by the end of 2023. In the United States, Chicago is a "sanctuary" city, which means it prohibits local and state law enforcement agencies from cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement agencies. In addition to restrictions on law enforcement agencies, such jurisdictions usually hold a more welcoming attitude towards illegal immigrants.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said on his campaign website, "As a city of refuge, we must always resist attempts to create community opposition and deliver the promise of this shelter to every person in our city who needs it - whether long-term residents or new immigrants."
Because of its title as a "shelter", Chicago has become a destination for Texas Governor Greg Abbott to transfer immigrants. Abbott has been dispatching buses to these cities since last year, claiming that these cities have contributed to the immigration crisis that the state is dealing with. Initially starting from Washington D.C., buses later also entered Chicago and New York City.
Abbott wrote on the X platform this month: "Texas has already used buses to transport over 35000 immigrants to places they call asylum cities. Among them, more than 11300 people are heading to Washington D.C., 13300 people are heading to New York City, more than 6700 people are heading to Chicago, and more than 2600 people are heading to Philadelphia..." Although officials in these cities attribute the crisis to Abbott's immigration buses, these buses seem to only transport a small number of immigrants they face - many immigrants are their own.
New York City, which is also a sheltered city, is facing serious financial problems. New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently warned that over 110000 immigrants arrived last year, and this crisis could "destroy" the city. He also issued a warning to New Yorkers about the financial impact of this crisis, stating that it may mean cutting services and could cost $12 billion by 2025.
Screenshot of Fox News website report
Adams recently stated, "We are about to experience a financial... tsunami, which I believe is something this city has never experienced before. This means that every service in the city will be affected, from children's services to elderly services, to housing, everything will change." Adams and other jurisdictions are calling on the federal government to provide assistance, including more funding, accelerate work authorization, and declare a federal state of emergency.
Officials in Denver, Colorado, USA stated that although Denver has restricted cooperation with immigration and customs enforcement agencies, technically speaking, Denver is not a safe haven city. According to a report from the US digital news website, the number of immigrants in the city has increased, and leaders have not yet developed specific plans on how to continue providing services. It is reported that the city spends nearly $24.8 million on immigration asylum work.
According to a report by Fox News in April this year, the city of Denver is expected to spend up to $20 million in the next six months, with weekly fees of up to $1000 per immigrant. Meanwhile, the mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, who serves as a refuge city, stated this week that she is "concerned" that her city may become the next refuge city and immigration planes may arrive soon. During an event, she said, "We live in a city that welcomes immigrants, so I think we can handle it now, but I'm worried that one day, airplanes may start arriving."
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