Gov. JB Pritzker has "concerns" about Chicago plan to house migrants in tent camps
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday expressed reservations about Chicago's plan to set up large tent encampments to house migrants and get them out of police stations.
"I've expressed my concerns about it, and we've continued to have conversations about it," the governor said. "With a lack of existing buildings to put people in, I know the city has looked at this as one of its options, but I don't think this is the only option."
Mayor Brandon Johnson recently signed a $29 million contract with a private security firm to set up so-called "base camps" of large military-style tents. The city has yet to announce where or when any of the camps would be built.
The goal is to get hundreds of asylum seekers out of Chicago police stations, where migrants have been sleeping on floors. Since he took office in May, Johnson has said moving migrants out of police stations has been a top priority, but the growing influx of asylum seekers left the city unable to meet that goal.
Pritzker said the state is trying to identify other facilities that could house migrants. The governor also reiterated his call for the federal government to step up with more funding and manpower to help with asylum seekers already in Chicago.