Election 2024: Candidates for 76th Illinois House District talk migrant crisis

Editor’s note: The following remarks from all five candidates running for Illinois’ 76th House District were pulled from each of the candidates’ corresponding Shaw Local News Network questionnaires. Candidates’ responses have been pulled in full and are not edited for length. To read each candidate’s full questionnaire, visit shawlocal.com/daily-chronicle/election.

The following responses were provided by each of the candidates to the question, “Considering the increasing influx of migrants to Illinois, how do you propose the state should address the challenges?”

Candidates’ responses are listed in alphabetical order.

Cohen Barnes, Democrat

“We need to advocate at the federal level to express the need that we have right now does require federal involvement in the form of dollars to states and local municipalities to support those immigrants the federal government have granted the status of asylum to. Having local cities shoulder this humanitarian crisis without federal support is ridiculous. We also need to advocate on the longer-term issue of stronger border control and overall immigration reform.”

Amy “Murri” Briel, Democrat

“The initial influx required an emergency response from the state, and the immediate needs of those migrants arriving were addressed. Now that we have a better idea of what to expect, the state should be creating a proactive plan that includes multiple areas of the state, expedited employment approvals, and centers that actively assist migrants in reaching their final destinations or aiding them in building a life in Illinois. The federal government has a responsibility to financially help Illinois as the state advances the American Dream for legal migrants.”

Carolyn “Morris” Zasada, Democrat

“Solutions to this problem that merely ‘punish the bus companies’ won’t do anything because the politicians funding the buses aren’t rational actors. Texas has spent over $148 million busing migrants already. They don’t care how much it costs them or if they lose a few buses. Gov. [Greg] Abbott is sending migrants to places like Chicago, New York, D.C., and Martha’s Vineyard because he wants the headline that ‘blue states are turning away migrants.’

He wants to justify his horrible treatment of migrants by showing that we would do the same thing. The best way to get this to stop is to make sure these migrants are treated well and deny Abbott his headline. Leaving migrants in horrible conditions is just going to lead to more buses coming to make us look bad.

“When I visited Chicago a month ago, I saw entire families sleeping outside in the cold. I want Illinois to limit spending whenever possible, but I’m a human being. Struggling people need to be taken care of.

“Illinois is dealing with a falling population. If we can vet and integrate some migrants into our state, we will see increased tax revenues and net growth for our state.”

Liz Bishop, Republican

“The state of Illinois has spent hundreds of millions of dollars dealing with the more than 34,000 migrants who have arrived in the state. In a tight budget year, this expense, borne from bad policies, takes funding away from programs for our Illinois citizens who need help, including those with disabilities, veterans and families struggling to make ends meet.

“Current procedures at the U.S. border have created a chaotic and unnecessary humanitarian crisis. The federal government must secure the border and provide resources to border states to manage this crisis. Illinois must be able to prioritize taxpaying families to ensure all people coming into our state are doing so legally and have a safe place to live and an opportunity to succeed.”

Crystal Loughran, Republican

“So far this year we’ve spent $450 billion on illegal immigration. This year, we spent $100 billion on the Ukraine war, not counting the hundreds of billions of equipment that we provided to that country as we fight in a proxy war with China.

“We also supply hundreds of billions of dollars in American aid to these countries every year.

“We can authorize the funding to hire 65,000 IRS agents, but we cannot hire more border patrol officers or Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to control the border.

“300,000 illegals are coming in every month just to come to our communities to live in free hotels and [receive] thousand-dollar gift cards and other freebies, including our schools and colleges. All at our expense. However, many will never see the inside of a courtroom, disregarding our immigration laws because their court dates that they are ordered to present themselves will be ignored, as they are forever lost into the country.

“It’s about America first, not Americans last. As human beings, we have to take care of others when it’s called for, but this has gone beyond just helping, and now Americans are asking for help after being neglected.

“The Democrats will pay dearly at the ballot box next year. The people are rising and challenging [President Joe] Biden and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker by running for political office as conservative grassroots Republicans to defeat the Democrat agenda destroying Illinois and this great nation.

“Even Democratic voters are voting Republican for financial relief. They have seen personally what liberal ideologies can do to destroy America.

“Change is coming soon to help all Illinoisans, Americans and our veterans!”