By Mark Vargas, Editor-in-Chief
Last September, Chicago Democrat Mayor Lori Lightfoot welcomed the buses full of migrants arriving in the city saying, “We have and we will continue to welcome them with open arms. I refuse to turn our back on them at a time when they need support the most.”
Lightfoot went on to say that the migrants “deserve our respect and dignity. They’re not cargo. They are not chattel. They are human beings.”
One year later, thousands of those same “human beings” are forced to sleep in airport lobbies, on sidewalks and in tents in front of local Chicago Police stations as the migrant crisis spins out of control in the city.
And as temperatures dip into the low 40s at night, where are the women and children sleeping? In tents, mats, sleeping bags and air mattresses scattered along city sidewalks in front of police stations.
Talk about dignity and respect.
The Democrats love to accuse Republicans of racism, but here they are – forcing minority women and children from very poor countries to sleep on cold, dirty sidewalks.
Talk about dignity and respect.
And just in case someone, including mothers and children have to use the bathroom, plastic porta potties are available just a few feet from their sidewalk tent – compliments of the city.
Again, talk about dignity and respect.
Since last year, it’s been estimated that over 17,000 migrants are now in Chicago – arriving in buses at all hours of the day and night.
And what’s the Democrats plan for these new arrivals? Send them to the nearest police station so they can find a tent or some space on the sidewalk to sleep on because all other housing options are no longer available.
And with the national security threats facing our country, are local, state and federal officials vetting these migrants before they arrive in our cities and communities?
In a previous life, this author spent the better part of three years from 2007-2010 in Baghdad, Iraq – traveling to the Middle East warzone fourteen times as a civilian advisor in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense as part of a special task force, solidifying an expertise in U.S. national security and Middle East foreign policy.
And there’s no question that the security concerns shared by national security experts across the country are valid. Just recently, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that they have caught 151 people on the FBI’s terror watch list trying to cross into the U.S. from the wide open southern border.
151 people that they caught, but what about the ones that slipped past border officials? Who are they and where are they?
When Chicago welcomes the 25 busloads of migrants that are arriving each day, are local and state officials aware of their backgrounds and if they pose any danger to the local community?
Of course not.
With threats of another potential terrorist attack on U.S. soil following the attack in Israel two weeks ago, Chicago Democratic politicians are leaving local residents and visitors to the city in grave danger.
With so much talk about dignity and respect, the Democrats have failed to address another issue: safety and security.
Hopefully, it’s not too late.
