Chicago mayor scolds reporter who asks about border crisis: You have not had a mayor like me
Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson cited his role as a husband and father for his busy schedule. (Credit: X / @ChicagosMayor)
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was mocked on social media by conservatives for a video from October that resurfaced in which he says part of the reason he hadn't scheduled a trip to the Mexican border was that he has a "Black wife raising three Black children."
"I have a wife, I have children, they have schedules," Johnson said. "And plus, we still have public safety that we have to address, we still have the unhoused that we have to address, I still have a budget that I have to address," Johnson said. "And I'm doing all of that with a Black wife raising three Black children on the west side of the city of Chicago. I am going to the border as soon as possible."
One commenter on X snarked, "Incredible! He has a wife and children AND has a job. What an amazing man."
Another commenter who criticized the Mayor's statements took issue with the policies behind the migrant surge in Chicago, "You asked to be a sanctuary city now deal with it. Nobody cares what color you are or your family is."
"I have children who attend schools who have soccer games, y'all," Johnson said. "You know, you all are asking me as if I'm not a parent in this city. I get it, I'm mayor, but you're asking me to give you a date."
The remark returned to haunt Johnson as he met Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday to discuss the migrant crisis in the city, with more than 35,000 migrants arriving in Chicago in the last year and a half, according to numbers reported by local ABC television station WLS.
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Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson City. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Pritzker has offered state money to the city to help manage the crisis and house migrants, according to the report, though that money has not yet been allocated to a specific project.
In comments to reporters Tuesday, Johnson said that it is going to take all levels of government to come together to solve the ongoing border crisis.
"This mission is going to take all of us," the mayor told reporters. "There is a strong commitment still for the state, county and city to continue to challenge the federal government to respond to this international crisis"
Recently arrived migrants in a makeshift shelter operated by the city of Chicago at OHare International Airport on Aug. 31, 2023. ((Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images))
Johnson, who took over as mayor in May of last year, has previously made promises to travel to the U.S.-Mexico border himself to get a firsthand view of the crisis. But a planned October trip was canceled by the mayor, who reasoned his time was better off spent dealing with the immediate needs in Chicago and instead sent. a delegation of city officials in his place.
The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Editor's note: This article was updated to reflect the correct date the remarks occurred.
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