Pritzker earmarks $17 million for municipalities helping asylum seekers
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is planning to distribute $17 million to municipalities helping the state handle the influx of asylum seekers who are being sent here from Texas without any assistance.
The funds are part of an Illinois Department of Human Services program to help build capacity in municipalities outside of Chicago that are welcoming migrants.
Republican leaders in Texas, led by Gov. Greg Abbott, have bused or flown more than 38,000 people seeking political asylum in the U.S. to the Chicago area since 2022, Illinois officials said. Most have arrived without proper clothing or any other resources.
In recent months, busloads of asylum seekers have been dropped off at suburban train stations after Chicago officials began threatening bus companies and their drivers with arrest, fines and confiscation of vehicles if they made unscheduled stops and allowed disembarkment outside of designated “landing zones.”
“This new funding builds on our commitment to support Illinois cities that are stepping up to help asylum seekers,” Pritzker said. “As we continue to call for further federal support, and as Illinois takes a stand against the callous ways Texas Gov. Abbott is using human beings as political pawns, these grants will lend support where it is needed throughout the state.”
The grants will be distributed through a partnership with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. The group will issue $11 million to municipalities outside Chicago to “welcome and support recent arrivals living in their communities.”
The money must be used to support migrants within the municipality and can’t be used to transport them elsewhere, state officials said.
Another $4 million is earmarked for the creation of 13 Illinois Welcoming Centers, which will provide case management services for migrants seeking shelter, employment and other resources.
The final $2 million is intended for Immigrant Family Resources Program (IFRP) providers. These agencies provide new arrivals with interpretation and translation services, information about public benefits and advocacy as they settle into their new communities, state officials said
Municipal leaders interested in the grants can apply online at forms.office.com/r/s4TaqX7dCf.