OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
A local activist in Chicago is criticizing a big ally of President Joe Biden, Mayor Brandon Johnson, and demanding he order a moratorium on illegal migrants after accusing the city leader of making poor and homeless residents an “afterthought.”
Tio Hardiman, the Executive Director for Violence Interrupters, made his remarks after Johnson announced new initiatives to provide aid to illegal migrants who have either been bussed to the sanctuary city or otherwise made their way to Chicago.
In order to accommodate the migrants, Johnson’s administration has spent hundreds of millions of city taxpayer dollars building shelters and providing monetary vouchers despite a growing backlash from city residents, Fox News reported on Friday.
Thousands of Chicago citizens who are still poor and homeless, Hardiman remarked, have since become an “afterthought.”
“The reality is that for all the poor people that have lived in Chicago, there has never been this type of effort to try and find resources. I’m not talking about Black, White, Latino. People living here already as legal citizens. Imagine a young person just getting their first apartment, their first car…how long it takes a young person to actually accomplish that ambition,” Hardiman told Fox News.
“Now you’re giving $9,000 rent vouchers to people that are not even legal citizens. Think about that for a minute. It’s not right. It’s not right at all,” he added. “I’m not saying that people need to get a handout either. I want to make that clear. But if you’re going to give out a handout, give it to the people that are already here that are struggling. That should make sense to anybody.”
While he noted that all ethnic groups in the city have been impacted by the migrant influx, he said black residents have gotten the worst of it.
“People get mad when we talk about reparations sometimes, but if you’re going to be giving out any type of resources, why would you overlook the African-American people that have fought every world war here in the United States? People that continue to fight because we love our country just the same, but we should not be overlooked,” Hardiman said.
“We got a mental health crisis going on in Chicago, gun violence all over the place. Gun violence is a public health issue, right? And it should be treated as such,” he continued. “And we just have too many people living in poverty already. So if you want to help bring people up to a degree and help them all the way out, help your people first.”
Hardiman did not say whether he believes the migrant crisis is changing political attitudes in the deep blue city.
“I truly believe that the migrants are being played as a political football. I do believe that. And, I know that a lot of people are becoming a little upset with the Democratic Party based on the migrant issue. I know that much as a possibility. But the verdict is still out on all that. I wouldn’t go that far right now,” he told Fox News.
Johnson has repeatedly attempted to blame Republicans, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, for the Chicago migrant crisis, but Hardiman said the problem could be solved — mostly by the nation’s top Democrat, President Joe Biden.
“It’s all about just abiding by the laws of the land right now. On the federal level, we need to really adhere to the laws of the United States. People have to come to the United States the legal way, not the illegal way. And we shouldn’t be making concessions for people that have come over here illegally. If the federal government would just abide by the law that’s on the books, we’ll be all right,” Hardiman said.
