Cook County, the home of the city of Chicago and Hyde Park township, voted with an astonishing 74% of the population in favor of the Democrat Party in the last presidential election. The city has also been what progressives describe as a “sanctuary city” since at least 1985, which means that the city government refuses to enforce national immigration laws and often actively tries to interfere with federal agencies like ICE when they seek to detain illegal immigrants. In this way, leftist governments have sought to undermine US border security by incentivizing migrants to enter the country without going through the proper vetting process.
For decades conservatives and even some moderates have warned that the open border policies of the political left would lead to social and economic disaster. Democrats happily ignored these arguments and chose instead to dismiss criticisms of illegal immigration as “racism.” The reasons why are varied. Some leftists believe that opening the borders is just a precursor to a sweeping amnesty for illegals who will then become a dedicated voting block for Democrats. Others see the US as a “white patriarchy” that needs to be dismantled and replaced using a Cloward-Piven approach. Others just want to see America burn.
While often holding up the cause of “empathy” for “huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” the progressive position always smelled of opportunism and dishonesty. Now we have the proof. With all the pontificating about how “amnesty is not illegal” and “America is a melting pot”, leftist regions are finally beginning to face the consequences of their own weaponization of the border, and they really don't like it.
Chicago appears to be the next in line to get a does of karma. Former mayor Lori Lightfoot attacked Texas Governor Greg Abbot over his relocation of migrants to the city in May, calling the move “inhumane” and “dangerous.” Lightfoot cited a “lack of communication” with the city government, with buses of illegals arriving unannounced. She did not seem to grasp the irony; open border policies and broad asylum regulations mean red states are constantly under siege with no way of knowing how many migrants are coming at an given time. Federal government interference means states have limited tools to “legally” react to the invasion.
Cook County has been hit with at least 13,500 migrants in the past year, with hundreds being housed in Hyde Park neighborhoods, increasing tensions in an already crime addled metropolis. The thing is, this is what residents voted for. The Utopian fantasy of an open border society that is still able to maintain its economy and its inherent cultural structures is naive at best. All those virtuous feelings go out the window once their neighborhoods are overrun and their city welfare programs are tapped out. Soon, those same compassionate progressives are threatening violence.
Woodlawn, Chicago residents blow up over illegals in the neighborhood:
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 27, 2023
“They disrespect us, rob us, harass us”
“We’re gonna take over. Nobody is gonna be able to stop us from what we’re gonna to do them.” pic.twitter.com/8bO5u86WSX
New York City and Washington DC have faced similar results. While border towns deal with millions of migrants per year (2.79 million in 2022 alone), all it took was 10,000 – 15,000 migrants to grind NY and DC into a panic. In July, NY Mayor Eric Adams warned that the city was “out of room” and that migrant housing costs could exceed $12 billion. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of public emergency. The bottom line? These sanctuary cities don't want any more migrants, and neither do the residents, but they continue to keep the same old policies in place.
So where does that leave them? In a self perpetuating death spiral. They'll never admit their ideological views were unrealistic because that would be admitting conservatives were right. So, they will continue taking in migrants and destroying their own local economy and security. They will ride this atomic bomb all the way to ground zero.