Chicago’s City Council on Wednesday approved using $51 million to pay for staffing, food and other resources for incoming migrants after a fierce debate that at one point put the meeting on a brief hold.

Dueling boos and cheers rang out each time members of the public spoke in support of the funding Wednesday. The meeting paused shortly as shouts from the public were so loud and boisterous, they overtook the proceedings that Mayor Brandon Johnson struggled to reel in. The debate was at times racially-charged as alderpersons and residents spoke out about where the city dedicates resources.

“If there’s enough to go around, then let’s pass an ordinance where we see the ‘enough,’ ” said Ald. David Moore, 17th Ward, before voting to reject the funding proposal.

Moore represents an underserved, majority-Black ward and has been critical of the city’s approach to the migrant crisis, saying the money should be spent on his residents instead.

Last week, three conservative alderpersons used a procedural maneuver to delay a vote on the proposal. On Wednesday, the council passed the funding by a vote of 34 to 13.

Alderpersons who voted in favor of migrant funding attempted to validate the concerns of numerous Black residents who spoke out against funding for migrants as their communities continue to face the effects of decades of disinvestment.

“If we cared as much about Black people and had over the decades as we do about everyone else, we wouldn’t be here,” said Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th Ward, who is Black and urged her colleagues to pass the funding for new arrivals.

Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th Ward, has been one of the most outspoken and critical council members on the city’s handling of the migrant crisis. Her ward is home to a migrant shelter in a shuttered public school, and she has repeatedly complained of a lack of coordination from the city. Still, repeating the phrase “hurt people don’t hurt people” in a floor speech Wednesday, Taylor voted to pass the funding.

“If my yes vote bothers you, then so be it … because hurt people don’t hurt people,” Taylor said to shouts of “she’s a traitor” from members of the crowd.

The city has warned it’s out of money and space to aid the roughly 10,000 asylum-seekers who have arrived in the city since last August. Over 4,400 are currently living in 11 temporary city-run shelters and respite centers that include former hotels and park field houses, with 610 awaiting housing in police station lobbies, according to a city spokesman.

The funding comes from a 2021 budget surplus that was set aside for “unanticipated emergencies,” according to the city’s budget office. But it’s only a stopgap. City officials previously warned the $51 million will only be enough to last through the end of June, and the city has received just a small fraction of the tens of millions in state and federal funding it’s requested.

“We’re going to continue to have these discussions, because these buses ain’t stopping,” Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th Ward, said, referring to the buses of asylum-seekers Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sent to the city.

In the Illinois state budget passed last week, another $42.5 million is poised to go toward assisting asylum-seekers with shelter, legal representation, translation services and more — with $25.5 million of that slated for municipalities and the remaining $17 million toward counties. The budget still needs to be signed by Gov. JB Pritzker.

Permanent Outdoor Dining

Alderpersons also approved a plan to make outdoor dining throughout the city permanent, marking another legislative win for Mayor Brandon Johnson. The outdoor dining option helped keep restaurants afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ability to set up seating on sidewalks has become a popular option for business owners.

Under the program approved Wednesday, three or more restaurants and bars can also band together and petition to close off an entire street. It has the support of groups like the Illinois Craft Brewers Guild and Illinois Restaurant Association, and will be administered by the departments of transportation and business affairs and consumer protection.

Department of Transportation Commissioner Gia Biagi said Tuesday curb lanes will offer “new real estate” for restaurants, and while it wasn’t the department’s preference, parking lots are also included as areas restaurants can tap.

About $800,000 in revenue is currently brought in annually for the roughly 1,000 permits issued, BACP Deputy Commissioner Max Budovitch told aldermen this week.

Permits must be renewed on an annual basis, and alderpersons also have a say on whether to recommend a permit’s approval — a feature that wasn’t included in a previous proposal by former Mayor Lori Lightfoot.

Ald. Brendan Reilly, 42nd Ward, said Tuesday the Lightfoot administration was “hell bent on taking aldermen out of the equation.” He applauded Johnson for including them in the process, who “know the conditions of neighborhoods better than anyone.”

Tessa Weinberg and Mariah Woelfel cover Chicago city government and politics at WBEZ.