Deportation flights to Venezuela concern Chicago migrant advocates

President Joe Biden’s decision Thursday to resume deportation flights of Venezuelans sparked concern among immigration advocates Friday even as details about the policy shift remained murky.

It was not immediately clear how the deportation flights, which Biden officials said would resume within days, would affect the migrant population in Chicago and Illinois, state and city officials said. But the state expects the policy to reduce the number of Venezuelans arriving at the southwest U.S. border, said Alex Gough, a spokesperson for Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

For people who are found ineligible for asylum, “it could mean that there will be a higher number of them being processed for deportation,” Gough said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Brandon Johnson on Friday continued his public calls for the state and federal governments to ramp up aid to Chicago for the humanitarian crisis surrounding the city’s growing migrant population, saying Springfield must make “sacrifices” to support the…