Will County Gazette

New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann has asserted that the municipality has not received any correspondence regarding funding for housing illegal immigrants from the state or any other entity. Furthermore, he emphasized the town's position, expressing no inclination to accept funding for this issue and highlighting concerns over resources and vetting procedures for potential migrants.

"We have not been contacted by anyone from the State, or anywhere else, regarding funding for migrant housing," Baledermann said. 

"Our municipality has no desire to accept any funding for this issue. Finally, we don't have the resources or inclination to have migrants settle in our community that haven't been properly vetted or have followed our federal immigration laws for entry to our country."

These comments from Baldermann were made in response to Glen Ellyn Village President Mark Senak's recent disclosure that his community was offered an $11 million state grant to facilitate the permanent resettlement of illegal immigrants. During the League of Women Voters Glen Ellyn 2024 State of the Village Annual Meeting on Jan. 26, Senak informed attendees about this substantial offer from the state.

"So you understand what I believe that $11 million is for us to have migrants come to Glen Ellyn and locate here and settle here and remain here, and what that would entail to accomplish that," Senak said.

The issue came into focus after State Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn) alerted the village about the availability of funds for this purpose, according to DuPage Policy Journal.

The surge of illegal immigrants into the area has prompted Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson to seek assistance from suburban areas with handling the city’s crisis involving illegal immigrants.

"He’s asking us all for support, calling out the federal government," Burr Ridge’s Mayor Gary Grasso said of Johnson during an interview with NBC Chicago.

Grasso also mentioned that Johnson specifically requested support in terms of increased funding for sheltering and providing services to migrants, as well as backing Johnson's demand from Washington.

This request comes as drop-offs of illegal immigrants in the Chicagoland area began spiking in December 2023. The situation has raised concerns due to reports indicating that over 34,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in Illinois since mid-2022, thereby intensifying calls for stronger border control measures. Last fall, Illinois allocated $42.5 million in grant funds for municipalities to accommodate illegal immigrants, with several cities, including Lake County, Elgin, Oak Park, Urbana, and Chicago, receiving assistance. In total, the state has allocated $500 million for the care of illegal immigrants, according to Capitol News Illinois.

During a Hinsdale Village Board meeting last month where drop-offs were prohibited, officials reported being informed by a bus driver that such occurrences were expected to continue through March. The frequency of daily drop-offs throughout the state has varied, often exceeding 10 instances. At times, the number of individuals being dropped off reaches nearly 800 people per day, according to another report from DuPage Policy Journal.