Democrat Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is the latest member of the president’s own party to criticize his handling of the uncontrolled southern border.
Pritzker described the influx of immigrants seeking asylum who traveled to Illinois as “untenable” in an October 2nd letter to President Joe Biden.
He wrote that the increasing pace of newly arrived asylum-seekers is “overwhelming” the state’s funding and resources, which he complains have not been matched by the federal government.
“Most critically, the federal government’s lack of intervention and coordination [on] the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois,” Pritzker’s letter said.
He also claimed that over 15,000 immigrants have arrived in Illinois in the 13 months since buses started dropping them off.
“Governors and mayors from border states have shipped people to our state like cargo in a dehumanizing attempt to score political points,” Pritzker wrote, referencing the actions of Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who are protesting Democrats’ open border policies by sending migrants to sanctuary cities.
Pritzker offered his own solutions for the Biden administration, such as assigning a person from the White House to lead oversight at the border.
That task was at one time given to Vice President Kamala Harris, who has evidently been ineffective in her role.
He also suggested that the federal government should waive the fees associated with applying for temporary protected status, which authorizes immigrants waiting for asylum to work in the US.
A spokesperson for the White House put the blame back on Congress, saying Biden has “repeatedly called on Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform.”
“Without the help of Congress, the Administration has been taking action: since May 12, we have removed or returned over a quarter million individuals,” the spokesperson said.
Pritzker’s letter mirrors the demands from New York City Mayor Eric Adams, also a Democrat, who has pleaded with the White House for more assistance as immigrants from Texas are unloaded into the city.
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My solution to the border problem would be to close it completely and send every illegal immigrant home, no matter how long they have lived illegally in the U.S. Barring that, it is only fair that all illegals be sent to each city and state that has proclaimed itself a sanctuary.