'Create a sign-up sheet': Chicago-area lawmaker calls on rich residents to open their homes to migrants

A local Illinois lawmaker is proposing that residents be given the opportunity to house migrants in their personal residences.

At a Naperville City Council meeting last week, Councilman Josh McBroom proposed a novel solution to the migrant crisis that has struck the Chicagoland area: let affluent residents volunteer to open their homes to migrants who need a place to live.

"In light of the fact that I'm not going to support using other people's money to house or aid. I do know that there’s a lot of people that do care, and I think we live in a compassionate community," McBroom said.

"Let's find out who’s willing to help," he continued. "We do have a very affluent community — a lot of big homes — and what I'd like to do is direct staff to create a sign-up sheet for individuals that would be willing to house migrant families, and if there's people that would do that, God bless them.

"I think we need to find out who would be willing to house migrant families," he latter added.

In a statement, the city of Naperville clarified the city is not, at this time, moving forward with McBroom's proposal, but city officials will formally consider it at a future meeting.

A spokesperson for the city manager said:

Naperville’s City Council asked staff to prepare a future agenda item, so Council may consider whether to create a sign-up opportunity for residents to volunteer to host migrants. City Council has not made any final decisions or taken any final action on this issue. It has not yet been determined the date of the City Council meeting this will be discussed. Until Council provides more direction, no further details will be available.

Naperville, a Chicago suburb located about 30 miles from the Windy City, is not a sanctuary city. Illinois, on the other hand, is a sanctuary state, and Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) has expanded policies making it "the most welcoming state in the nation" for migrants and immigrants.

At least six buses of migrants have arrived to Naperville dating back to last month, according to the Chicago Tribune.

But at the rate that migrants are crossing the border and being shipped to areas like Chicago, it's almost certain that more migrants will arrive to the city in the near future.

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