Chicago residents won’t get to vote on city’s sanctuary status after lawmakers block referendum

Chicago residents will not have an opportunity to vote on the city’s sanctuary status after Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson and the city council decided to block an advisory referendum on Thursday, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

For months, voters and lawmakers have been locked in a heated debate over the city’s budget, particularly regarding migrant services.

Anthony Beale, alderman of the 9th Ward, previously proposed adding a referendum to the March primary ballot that, if passed, would have allowed residents to weigh in on Chicago’s sanctuary city status, Blaze News previously reported.

Voters would have been asked, “Should the city of Chicago limit its designation as a sanctuary city by placing spending limits on its public funding?”

In November, hundreds of frustrated residents shut down a city council meeting to discuss the issue. Protesters lamented some lawmakers’ efforts to block the referendum in an attempt to prevent residents from providing feedback.

Beale estimated that the city is spending roughly $40 million per month maintaining its sanctuary status, providing services to the influx of migrants.

During the November meeting, 35th Ward Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Johnson’s former floor leader, was accused of physically blocking an alderwoman from entering the chamber. As a result, he stepped down from his position as council floor leader and zoning committee chair.

Following the meeting, Alderman Raymond Lopez noted that he had “never seen such a concerted effort to ignore the will of the people.”

Less than an hour into the city council meeting on Thursday, Johnson and his allies initiated a parliamentary maneuver to prevent the referendum from being added to the 2024 ballot.

Beale’s bid was rejected in a 31-16 vote.

“It is a shame that you all are scared. What are you scared of? To let the people have a voice? What are you scared of — the truth?” Beale said, blasting his colleagues for blocking the referendum. “Are we afraid that the people are going to tell us that we are spending money frivolously? … Are we afraid that the people are going to tell us that we are headed in the wrong direction?”

“I’m all for taking care of people. I am sympathetic as well,” he continued. “However, I’m more sympathetic for the people in my community who have been paying taxes their entire life, can’t get a furnace, can’t get a roof, can’t get a hot water heater, can’t get a back porch. And my seniors are still starving for resources.”

Beale accused fellow lawmakers who voted against the bid of “turn[ing] your backs on the people who are paying taxes in this city.”

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