Governor JB Pritzker is calling out the National Guard to help deal with the busloads of migrants being sent to Chicago from Texas.
The governor also issued a disaster proclamation to speed up the availability of state money and resources to deal with the crisis.
Pritzker took the extraordinary steps Wednesday to deal with the mounting crisis that is only expected to worsen.
So far, 11 busloads of migrants have arrived in Chicago from Texas. Approximately 509 migrants have been sent here, according to the city.
The disaster proclamation, which covers all 102 counties in Illinois, mobilizes the Illinois National Guard. It directs the State Board of Education, four named State departments, and all other State agencies to coordinate with each other to respond to asylum seekers coming to Illinois.
The gubernatorial proclamation designates the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) as the lead agency to provide services – including taxpayer-funded services – to migrants seeking asylum in Illinois.