The Republican mayor of a city in suburban Chicagoland says Gov. JB Pritzker’s office is calling him “xenophobic” for questioning why a busload of 64 immigrants was brought from Chicago to his city. 147 immigrants were bussed from Texas to Chicago on Wednesday, and sixty-four of them were then taken to a Hampton Inn hotel in Burr Ridge, Illinois, which is outside Chicago. Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso, who is a Republican, told Fox News that he believes immigrants are being used as “political pawns” by both Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “As I understand it, this hotel, about a year ago, when refugees came from Afghanistan, apparently received quite a few either through religious or charitable organizations, but now the state assumes that they can just send immigrants … this is not about them, the immigrants are fine, they’re being used as political pawns by the governor and the mayor,” Grasso said. ILLINOIS MAYOR SUCCESSES CHICAGO MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT’S ‘IMPAIRMENT’ AFTER SENDING IMMIGRANTS TO ‘DEMOCRATIC SUBURB’ Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso (left) and Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (right). (FOX 32 and Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) Jordan Abudayyeh, Pritzker’s press secretary, told WGN it’s interesting that local officials are protesting this issue. “The state is working with our partners in the city of Chicago and Cook County along with advocacy organizations to welcome asylum seekers to the United States and provide them with stability as they work to build a new life in Illinois. The state has a history of in relation to the hotel being used in the suburbs and its staff have done an amazing job welcoming refugees and asylum seekers in the past, so it’s interesting that local officials are choosing this particular example to denounce the press about this particular group of applicants asylum consisting of about 30 families Governor Pritzker has made it clear that Illinois is [a] The welcoming state and xenophobia have no home here,” Abudayyeh said. Grasso says the comment from Pritzker’s office is “spoiled” and shows how the governor’s office deals with people who question its actions. “Yesterday, the Governor’s office issued a statement inferring that the village was xenophobic for reacting to the placement of refugees in our community without notice or notification. Such an ill-advised comment exemplifies the bellicosity the Governor’s office has shown to anyone who questions the actions of the State – from the extended state shutdown during the pandemic without the consent of the Legislature and now the disrespectful way his office is treating the village and its residents,” Grasso said. ILLINOIS MAYOR ‘SAD’, SAYS CHICAGO DEPARTMENTS FAIL TO INFORM HIM OF IMMIGRANTS SENT TO CITY Migrants taken to Burr Ridge will stay at a Hampton Inn for at least 30 days. (FOX 32) The immigrants will spend at least the next 27 days at the Burr Ridge Hampton Inn. Grasso said the Hampton Inn was previously used to house refugees from Afghanistan, but he says that “doesn’t give the governor or the mayor carte blanche to send a couple of busloads of immigrants into our village without telling us.” “The border situation on the southern border is a completely different situation than the Afghan refugees. It’s absolute arrogance for the state to assume that it can send immigrants to the suburbs around Chicago,” Grasso said. A spokesman for the village of Burr Ridge said the migrants were taken from the Salvation Army Shield of Hope in Chicago to Burr Ridge, according to NBC5. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Mayor Lori Lightfoot introduces Jazmine Sullivan during the first day of Lollapalooza 2022 in Grant Park on July 28, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois (Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images) According to the report, his announcement Illinois Department of Human Services states that the immigrants are “accepting temporary shelter in urban and suburban hotels that have provided shelter to vulnerable families from Afghanistan and other parts of the world. We are grateful for the hospitality and care they have received from individuals and organizations throughout Illinois.” “We will continue to take action to ensure that everyone in Illinois has access to shelter, food, health care and other basic, essential supports,” the statement said. “We expect the State of Texas will continue to bus immigrants to Illinois, and we remain committed to helping welcome new arrivals in a responsible, orderly and compassionate manner.” Adam Sabes is a writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter @asabes10.
