Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker called out President Joe Biden over his lack of support as the state grapples with surges of migrants in a Monday letter obtained by The New York Times.
Pritzker asked Biden to waive application fees for migrants seeking protection, to increase communication with the state over migrant transports and to provide more financial support, according to the letter. Over 15,000 migrants have arrived to Illinois in the span of 13 months.
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“Unfortunately, the welcome and aid Illinois has been providing to these asylum seekers has not been matched with support by the federal government,” Pritzker wrote in the letter. “Most critically, the federal government’s lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois.”
Meanwhile, a nonstop flow of migrants crossing the southern border illegally continues. Border Patrol encounters of illegal migrants in 2023 is set to surpass the previous year’s record of 2.2 million.
Pritzker is also asking Biden to provide accelerated work authorization, Medicaid waivers and other public support for migrants, according to the letter.
”We have moved to accelerate the processing of work permits – working to decrease the median processing time from many from 90 to 30 days,” a White House spokesperson told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We have sent more than 1.4 million emails and text messages to migrants that are eligible to work, reminding them to apply for work permits. And we have provided communities across the country who are supporting recently arrived migrants with all of the $1 billion in grant funding that Congress appropriated.”
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“Meanwhile, House Republicans continue to block the reform the immigration system needs and the $4 billion we requested to address the immediate needs of DHS to safely and humanely manage the Southwest Border and support communities across the country. We will continue to work closely with Illinois and states and cities across the country,” the spokesperson added.
Biden has received criticism from other members of his party, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams over the same issue.
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