Chicago Residents Erupt Over Migrant ‘Invasion,’ Slam Democratic Mayor as a ‘Monarch’

Chicago residents, especially Black residents, are fed up with a migrant “invasion” that has cost the city more than $500 million since the city’s Democratic mayor, Brandon Johnson, assumed office last year.That’s the verdict from a City Council budget meeting on Monday night, as residents — many of whom were Black and wearing “Chicago Flips Red” shirts and Trump merchandise — fumed over the $527.5 million the city has spent on migrants since May 2023. “Brandon Johnson, you have violated your oath of office,” one commenter said. “You have not supported the U.S. Constitution, nor the Illinois Constitution, you have not protected the people of Chicago from invasion, nor ensured domestic tranquility.”“No one appointed a monarch to rule over the people of Chicago,” she added. The public comments came ahead of a vote on Mr. Johnson’s 2025 budget, which passed by a narrow vote after weeks of contentious debate, as Fox News reported. Following the chaotic public comment period, Mr. Johnson called on the sergeant-at-arms to remove the individuals and “restore order.” “You caused all this money to go to illegal immigrants, anything that you all pass is not genuine,” one resident said ahead of the vote.“You caused all this money to go to illegal immigrants,” she said, adding that Mr. Johson was “going to be held accountable for it, and we want a forensic audit of the money that was spent on illegal immigration.”“Anything that you all pass is not genuine, it’s not honest, because you’re trying to cover up where our money actually went,” she said.The comments build on more than a year of resentment towards Mr. Johnson’s handling of the migrant crisis, especially from Black residents who have said migrants are taking away their jobs and resources, as the Sun has reported. Other residents accused Mr. Johnson’s budget plan of sinking the city “even more in debt” after giving away “half the money to illegals.” “Tom Homan said out of his mouth that it is illegal to harbor and conceal illegal aliens,” one public commenter said. “I’m going to tell you another thing, all you illegals, you ain’t going to have a Merry Christmas, you’re going to have a Merry ‘Deportation’ Christmas.”President-elect Trump’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, said last week that Chicago was his number one priority.“We’re going to start right here in Chicago, Illinois,” Mr. Homan said, adding that if Mr. Johnson tries to “impede us, if he knowingly harbors and conceals an illegal alien, I will prosecute him.”Illinois’s governor, JB Pritzker, responded to those comments by questioning Mr. Homan’s “authority” to make good on his promises.“Being a border czar is not an official position in the government, and it will be up to the President of the United States and up to the leaders of the Customs and Border Patrol to make decisions about how we’ll manage the border,” Mr. Pritzker said, as Politico reported.At Monday’s city meeting, residents told the mayor that Chicago’s leadership should not challenge the incoming Trump administration on immigration. “We need Tom Homan, we need Donald Trump,” one public commenter said. “We need to start voting different in these cities like New York and Chicago. Stop voting these people in. It’s not Democrat versus Republican anymore, it is populist versus establishment.”He urged fellow residents not to fall for “race-baiting” vote tactics since Black residents are “legal.” “I don’t care if you’re Black,” he told the mayor. “Can you do the job? Can you do the job, Mr. Brandon Johnson? And it’s looking like you can’t do the job.” The Sun has reached out to Mr. Johnson’s office for comment.

Chicago Residents Erupt Over Migrant ‘Invasion,’ Slam Democratic Mayor as a ‘Monarch’

More from the New York Sun

Back to the USSR, Russian Wait in Gas Lines — and Fume

Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the Democrats’ New Voting Math

Trump-Backed Candidate for Georgia Governor Loses His Primary to Billionaire First-Time Candidate

More from the New York Sun

Back to the USSR, Russian Wait in Gas Lines — and Fume

Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the Democrats’ New Voting Math

Trump-Backed Candidate for Georgia Governor Loses His Primary to Billionaire First-Time Candidate

Democrats Withhold Judgment on Clayton’s Nomination To Be Spy Chief, Choosing To Wait for Answers at Confirmation Hearing

Warsh’s First Press Conference as Fed Chairman Could Offer Clues About His Promised Reforms

Justice Department Seeks To Join Lawsuit Challenging Evanston’s Reparations Program

Hegseth Presses GOP Lawmakers for $350 Billion Pentagon Spending Increase Atop $1.1 Trillion Defense Appropriations

After Court Loss, East Village Group Says Fight Over Mamdani’s Homeless Intake Center Plan Is Far From Over