Protesters shut down a Chicago City Council meeting on Tuesday during a debate over allowing residents to decide whether the city should remain a sanctuary for migrants.
Frustrated residents, mostly African Americans, packed the gallery during the City Council Rules Committee meeting, shouting and booing aldermen during a heated discussion on Chicago’s sanctuary city status, FOX32 Chicago reported. Many were angry about how much money the city is spending on migrant shelters instead of on its poor communities.
"We're spending a lot of money every single day," said 9th Ward Alderman Anthony Beale. "I think up to $40 million a month, ladies and gentlemen."
Some Chicagoans who opposed welcoming new migrants shouted down aldermen on both sides of the issue. As the raucous meeting devolved into shouting, Rules Committee Chairwoman Michelle Harris ordered the sergeant-at-arms to clear the room.
CHICAGO STRUGGLES TO HOUSE WAVES OF MIGRANTS AS FREEZING TEMPERATURES HIT CITY
The meeting was suspended until Nov. 16.
While Mayor Brandon Johnson has acknowledged that the sanctuary city issue has divided the city, the crisis and approaching winter months has prompted the mayor to open camps for migrants.
Some of those camps are being placed in poor Black and Hispanic neighborhoods, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
More than 20,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since last year.
More than 3,000 are living inside airports and police stations while they await shelter placements, including in park district field houses, although some have moved into tents in adjacent streets and vacant lots due to overcrowding.
Johnson estimates Chicago will spend roughly $255 million on the migrant crisis in 2023.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
