From Breakthrough Ideas Jeanne Ives
| Let’s do some more simple math. Estimates are that during the Biden administration up to 7 million people have entered the country illegally. Most of them were released into the United States to await an asylum hearing that will be years away. Let’s assume conservatively that 5 million of those who crossed illegally are somewhere in the United States. If every state took an equal share of the 5 million, Illinois would need to shelter, feed, clothe, educate, and otherwise care for 100,000. If we took a share based on our percentage of the US population (3.7%), our share of illegal aliens to shelter, feed, clothe, educate, and otherwise care for would be 185,000. Now what, Chicago? You asked for it. Welcoming City, Sanctuary City, Sanctuary State – these are your values and now the reality of those values and official policies have come home to roost – and many folks don’t like what they see. Residents are outraged that Kenwood Hotel is going to house illegal aliens. From WGN TV: |
| “As city leaders attempted to answer questions, they were interrupted a handful of times by audience members shouting at them, or other attendees…“I don’t want them there,” said one resident at the meeting. “Take them someplace else or send them back.” The Sun-Times reported on FOP President John Catanzara’s comments about illegal aliens at police stations. “Fraternal Order of Police President John Catanzara on Thursday proposed an alternative to district stations: allowing hundreds of migrants to sleep in the lobbies and open hallways at City Hall. “I don’t think there’s one single one of ’em living in City Hall — whether it’s on the county lobby floor or the City Hall floor. There’s certainly plenty of space to put a couple hundred in there, but I don’t see that happening in their workspace. But they certainly have no problem putting ’em in our workspace,” Catanzara said. “Why be a hypocrite?” Catanzara went on to say – “it was “so ridiculous” that “there’s actually mail. Migrants are using police district addresses to receive their mail. They now have CPS out there recruiting migrant children to register for CPS just to have that number in the next two weeks to grab as much tax revenue as they possibly can. Whether these kids come to school or not, they don’t care. This is all a big game to far too many people.” Catanzara raises an important point, student enrollment count is based on September 30th numbers. And the education formula provides more money to districts for both categories of low-income and bilingual. Last year Chicago student enrollment was down 30 percent from two decades ago (436,048 students in 2002/3 and 306,302 in 2022/3) and has been on the decline since then. Student enrollment matters for state funding, and it’s all about the money. Alderman Ray Lopez echoed the criticism saying, “Chicago will hit 2,000 migrants in police stations before week’s end. Weather is getting cooler because winter is on its way. What’s the plan? … It’s time to convert McCormick Place with the same pandemic gusto as before. Break out those 3,000 cots by Halloween!” he tweeted. |
| Let’s look at a few different politicians and their pro-illegal immigrant stances. In 2017, Silvana Tabares, then a State Representative had no problem voting yes for SB31, the Illinois Trust Act, which made the entire state of Illinois a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants. Click here to see the vote. By 2021, Tabares, now as a Chicago Alderman changed her position. As reported in this WTTW article, shortly after Biden took office, the Chicago city council took no time in signaling again that illegal aliens would be protected from federal agents. After an “emotional debate”, the council voted 41-8 to prohibit Chicago police officers “from cooperating with federal immigration agents in all cases. Officers previously had been allowed to assist federal immigration agents if they asked for information about individuals listed as gang members in city databases, those who have been charged or convicted of a felony or are wanted on a warrant issued by a judge, but not anymore after the vote. Tabares was one of the eight who opposed the measure. Earlier this year in 2023, the Sun-Times noted additional concerns of Tabares over illegal aliens occupying an empty K-mart, “But after being briefed about the state’s plans for the site at 7050 S. Pulaski Road, Ald. Silvana Tabares, whose 23rd Ward includes the property, said she wants the local community to have a say in the process before it proceeds. “I have major concerns for the safety of the local community and the people who will be housed at this location,” Tabares said in a statement, adding that she’s urged state lawmakers to engage local residents.” I’m not picking on Tabares, I’m pointing out that she created the problems she now eschews. And she could have readily spoken up when it mattered. Let’s be clear – All Democrats created the problems they are now crying about. |
| Let’s look at a few more folks. More than anyone else Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez has put illegal aliens first while serving as a State Representative. She’s done well for herself. She is now Deputy Majority Leader and Chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois. If Chicago residents are upset about migrants taking over park district space, hotels, schools, and other public facilities while also occupying police departments, then they need to confront Lisa Hernandez. One of Hernandez’ signature bills this year was HB1570 which extended medical care to non-citizens aged 19 and over. The bill died because the estimated cost for the whole enchilada of non-citizen medical care was estimated at over $1 billion – the Black caucus was not going to stand for that kind of money going to illegals. DuPage and Kane County voters, please note that both Anna Moeller (Elgin) and Maura Hirschauer (West Chicago) signed on to support this bill, too. Since she has been in office, Lisa Hernandez sponsored legislation to have non-citizens be student trustees in our public universities, provide taxpayer-supported grants to non-citizens for higher education, punish employers for discrimination based on work authorization status (that’s law now in IL), allocate $3 million for English Learner software for schools, provide public defenders at taxpayer expense to represent illegal aliens in immigration cases, and prohibit landlords from refusing to rent to illegal immigration. Above all others, Lisa Hernandez has been the leader in giving away the privileges of citizenship to illegal immigrants. Once Trump was out of office, the Democrats piled on and in 2021, supported a resolution calling on the Biden administration to repudiate all Trump policies and “take immediate steps, including executive orders, administrative policy changes, and regulatory changes, to undo the harmful immigration policies of the Trump Administration, including but not limited to halting and dismantling the immigration enforcement machinery that has harmed and separated thousands of Illinois families…and to “fix other provisions of our immigrations laws that exclude and otherwise harm immigrants, address the root causes of international migration, and ground our immigration laws in justice and equity.” Wow. There’s so much to unpack in that statement from 2021 from the perspective of what’s going on in 2023. It is a well-known fact that the cartels control our southern border and in doing so are making billions of dollars off of smuggling drugs and humans. Even the NY Times wrote about it. So just who is separating families and harming others, including hundreds of thousands of Americans killed by fentanyl over the last few years? There are a couple of other politicians who deserve honorable mentions in the category of giving citizenship privileges to illegal aliens. |
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| State Rep. Barbara Hernandez passed legislation this year giving non-citizens (illegal aliens) a driver’s license that looks exactly like a citizen’s license. Illinois first passed legislation allowing for a non-citizen to get a license in 2013. That license was a temporary license good for only three years and required someone to have been residing in the state for at least a year. It was markedly different looking on purpose. In arguing for issuing standard licenses to non-citizens, State Rep. Barbara Hernandez said that people with temporary licenses had difficulty purchasing alcohol or picking up drugs from the pharmacy. The other bill Barbara Hernandez sponsored in the House is the bill allowing non-citizens to become police officers with arresting authority over citizens. This bill raised national attention. Hernandez’ focus is illegal immigrants. Her website states “One of Barbara’s passions is being an advocate for immigrant families. As a daughter of first-generation immigrants, who were undocumented for 21 years, she knows the obstacles people face on a daily basis and hopes to one day help families.” Next up, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez. As a state representative from 2019-2022, she has literally cost taxpayers a billion dollars since 2020 with her initiative that gives medical services to non-citizens. This year that program she initiated will cost at least $550 million, the amount budgeted. It likely will be higher. Pritzker immediately paused any new enrollments into the program in late June to control costs. He is taking heat for doing so, and so it will be interesting to see if his cost-control measures work and withstand the pressure from his Democrat constituencies. I bet not. Two things are clear, the Democrats don’t care about enforcing immigration laws, and these folks coming over do not qualify as true asylum seekers. It takes about six years to hear an asylum case, and only 20 percent of those cases are determined to be qualified under our asylum laws. In the intervening years, people who entered illegally eventually get work permits, start families have American children, and become accustomed to the generous benefits of our system. But we have an immigration system complete with quotas, documentation requirements, and a line you need to wait in. People whose first act is to violate our sovereign laws even if seeking asylum because there’s an entire legal process for that too, don’t deserve the benefits of citizenship. Democrats and their voters who are now upset about the takeover of their city by illegal immigrants and the diversion of resources to support them have only themselves to blame. Buckle up because it’s not even close to being over and it’s coming soon to your community. |
