Host Illegal Immigrants in Your Homes, Illinois City Councilman Suggests

Illegal immigrants line up as they wait for a bus to Chicago at the NGO Mission Border Hope's complex to transport them out of Eagle Pass, Texas, on Sept. 26, 2023. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

A councilman from a Chicago suburb has suggested that some members of his community should open their homes to illegal immigrants amid the ongoing immigration crisis.

Councilman Josh McBroom touted the idea during a recent City Council meeting in the city of Naperville, Illinois, saying it’s “a very affluent” and “compassionate community” with “a lot of big homes.”

Mr. McBroom said he doesn’t believe the city should use taxpayer dollars to help house or aid illegal immigrant families arriving in droves in the Chicago area.

He did note that lawmakers hear from many constituents saying that local leaders should “do more” to help with the surge of illegal immigrants seeking asylum in neighboring Chicago, a so-called sanctuary city.

Some members of the community have expressed a desire to help illegal immigrants, he said.

Naperville is home to around 149,000 people.

“I do know that there’s a lot of people that do care, and I think we live in a compassionate community, so before we go down the road of, you know, following suit on some of these other cities are taking action on, my idea would be, let’s find out, let’s find out who’s willing to help,” Mr. McBroom said.

“We do have a very affluent community, a lot of big homes, and what I’d like to do is direct staff to create a sign-up sheet so, for individuals that would be willing to house migrant families.”

No Vote on Hosting Illegal Immigrants

“And if there’s people that would do that, God bless them. So if we could raise awareness in that way, I think we need to find out. I think we need to find out who would be willing to house migrant families. That would be my new business. I would be looking for support from the diocese. Any questions, discussion, happy to have that,” he added.

Mr. McBroom’s fellow council members Nate Wilson, Paul Leong, and Jennifer Bruzan Taylor all support his proposal, although no formal vote was taken on the suggestion, according to the Naperville Sun. The idea may be brought back for further discussion at a future council meeting after further vetting.

Another council member later estimated that Mr. McBroom’s plan would require at least 16 hours of city staff time, ABC News affiliate WPDE-TV reports.

“Naperville’s City Council asked staff to prepare a future agenda item, so [the] council may consider whether to create a sign-up opportunity for residents to volunteer to host migrants,” a spokesperson for the Naperville city manager’s office told Fox News.

The spokesperson added that the Naperville City Council hasn’t made any final decisions or taken any final action on the issue.

“It has not yet been determined the date of the city council meeting this will be discussed. Until [the] council provides more direction, no further details will be available,” the spokesperson said.

Illegal immigrants wait along the border wall to board a bus after surrendering to U.S. Border Patrol agents on the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, on May 12, 2023. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images

Chicago Facing ‘Remarkable Challenge’

Since August 2022, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sent more than 31,100 migrants to the Chicago area as part of “Operation Lonestar,” a multi-agency effort to deter illegal crossings and prevent human smuggling across the border, according to his office.

As of Jan. 17, six buses carrying migrants have stopped at Naperville’s downtown Metra station since Dec. 21, 2023, city spokeswoman Linda LaCloche told the Naperville Sun.

Mr. McBroom’s suggestion comes shortly after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson urged the Biden administration to do more to address the immigration crisis affecting the city, and argued that the current influx of illegal immigrants is unsustainable without significantly increased federal support.

Mr. Johnson said in December 2023 that the city was housing 15,000 illegal immigrants in 27 temporary shelters and a total of 4,500 children in the Chicago public schools system.

The mayor argued that the city faces a “remarkable challenge” during an appearance on CNN, noting that without “real significant investment from our federal government,” it wouldn’t only be Chicago that is unable to manage the influx of illegal immigrants but “the entire country.”

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also has called on the Biden administration to do more to help the state deal with the influx of migrants, stating in a letter to the White House late last year that the situation is becoming “untenable” and that the constant flow of people is “overwhelming.”