Multiple U.S. Cities Strained For Resources Amid Migrant Influx
Americans named the influx of immigrants at the southern border the #1 problem in the country
Context
The ballooning number of migrants crossing the southern border has become a central point of public debate in the past few months, with Americans naming it the #1 problem in the country right now, according to a recent Gallup poll.
Cities’ Resources Strained Under Migrant Influx
The inflow of migrants is straining resources for a number of U.S. cities struggling with the costs of providing accommodations for migrants. While the majority of migrants initially enter the U.S. through Texas, the state’s governor, Greg Abbott, has been sending buses of migrants since 2022 to Democrat-led cities such as New York City, Chicago, and Denver. These cities have designated themselves as sanctuary cities for migrants (map).
Today, many of these cities are calling for more state and federal funding to assist with the rising costs. S&P Global, a financial credit ratings agency, recently highlighted the pressure the crisis is putting on city budgets as a potential risk to their credit ratings. Below are some examples.
New York City spent $1.5B, or 1.4% of its general fund expenditures, on migrant assistance in 2023. The city increased its estimate for migrant-related spending to $4.2B and $4.9B in 2024 and 2025. The bulk of spending is for emergency shelters to house migrants, which currently total more than 65,000. NYC has started implementing cost-saving measures to keep costs in check.
Chicago: After NYC, Chicago has received the second most migrants from the southern border. They currently have 28 shelters housing more than 13,000 people. Airports and police stations have been temporarily used at times. Chicago spent about $275M in 2023 on migrant support, but has cut that budget to $150M in 2024; however, it’s unclear how they will remain under budget without a change in policy. In its report, S&P Global wrote that the migrant crisis, depending how it is managed, “could have a longer-term effect on its [Chicago’s] credit quality.”
Whitewater (Wisconsin): While large cities are receiving the majority of migrants, some small cities are being impacted as well. For example, Whitewater, Wisconsin, has seen its population of 15,000 grow by nearly 10% since 2021. The inflow has caused large changes, including a substantial strain on public schools to hire ESL teachers and accommodate new students. In addition, law enforcement has seen an increase in drug activity and domestic violence calls. The city reportedly faces a $400,000 budget shortfall due to growing migrant costs. Whitewater Committee president Jeffrey White said in an interview with the Washington Free Beacon, "I don't have a problem with immigration…The concern is about resources." (read more)
Read more about the problems cities such as San Diego and Denver are facing.
Record breaking immigration numbers
2.5M people crossed the southern border in 2023 (nearly 1% of the total U.S. population), a record. In 2024, the figures are trending even higher thus far. The majority of migrants enter illegally and are released into the U.S. and given a court date for their asylum case. It often takes years for cases to be adjudicated. The number of pending cases has spiked to 3.3M in 2023, up from ~1M in 2019.
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