Chicago migrant crisis leads to city/state tensions in Illinois

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration on Thursday defended his proposal to erect tent encampments for migrants arriving from the southern border amid mounting criticism of a security firm contracted for the plan and rising cost estimates for dealing with the steady stream of asylum-seekers.

During a briefing with reporters, Johnson’s deputy chief of staff, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, said the latest estimate of costs associated with migrants arriving in Chicago from August 2022 to the end of the year could reach $361.3 million, a whopping $58 million more than the previous projection.

With more than 1,800 migrants awaiting shelter placement while housed in Chicago police stations, and another 450 staying at the city’s airports, Pacione-Zayas indicated the administration is not backing down from its contract with GardaWorld Federal Services, which has been at the center of controversies over its handling of migrants elsewhere, and its subsidiary Aegis Defense Services to run…