ST. CHARLES COUNTY 鈥 The St. Charles County Council on Monday night delayed voting on a resolution that would oppose an effort to get Latino migrants now living in Chicago to move to the 51黑料 area.
At issue is a program announced in September by the nonprofit International Institute of 51黑料, labor unions and others to try to make the metro area a destination for migrants from Latin American nations.
Karlos Ramirez, an institute vice president, traveled to Chicago last month to inform officials about the 51黑料 push. He followed that up with a visit last week to El Paso, Texas, and plans to also visit New York and Denver.
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The effort is modeled after a similar initiative that settled more than 1,200 Afghan refugees in the region since 2021. And it aims to repeat the long-term success of the resettlement of Bosnian immigrants here in the 1990s as a way of combatting population decline in the area.
The proposed St. Charles County resolution would strongly oppose 鈥渢he importation of illegal immigrants in the region.鈥
However, backers of the new initiative have emphasized they are only seeking people who come to the United States legally under the 鈥渉umanitarian parole鈥 program begun last year by the Biden administration.
The program covers people from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Haiti. People can stay legally for two years and then can apply to extend their work permits, local officials say.
鈥淎ll the people we will be working with already have documentation鈥 to be in the U.S. legally, Ramirez said in an interview.
One of the resolution鈥檚 four co-sponsors 鈥 Councilman Joe Brazil, R-Defiance 鈥 said at the council meeting that he doesn鈥檛 object to people entering the country legally.
But he noted that the humanitarian parole program has been by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey and officials in 20 other states, all Republican-leaning.
The suit, pending in U.S. District Court in Texas, accuses the program as implemented by the Biden administration of being a 鈥渟hadow鈥 immigration system that鈥檚 letting in nearly everyone who applies instead of considering applicants case by case as required by law.
鈥樷橧f there鈥檚 20 states that are filing a lawsuit on this particular programming, we鈥檙e not standing alone,鈥 Brazil said. 鈥淚t has nothing to do with being Latin or Spanish or whatever the case may be. It鈥檚 about the law, about the immigration law.鈥
Arguing against the council resolution was Councilwoman Nancy Schneider, R-St. Charles.
鈥淭his resolution seems to conflate illegal immigrants with people who are sponsored by the (international institute) who appear to be seeking efforts to join the workforce and become productive members of society,鈥 Schneider said.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think this accomplishes anything.鈥
Two other council members, Council Chairman Terry Hollander, R-St. Charles, and Mike Elam, R-Dardenne Prairie, said the resolution was poorly worded.
At Brazil鈥檚 request, the council tabled the issue until its next meeting Nov. 27 because two of the three other co-sponsors were absent.
The international institute has arranged for immediate housing for as many as 12 people but, as of now, a spokeswoman said, no one has applied to take part. The effort could eventually increase to 500 people and more, officials have said.
The local program includes funding for up to three months of free housing and six months of phone and internet services, English language classes, job training and job placement with unions, and help from immigration lawyers getting work permits.
鈥淲hat happens after three months?鈥 Brazil asked. 鈥淲ho鈥檚 going to fund it?鈥
Program supporters say the free housing, funded by private donations, cuts off when participants get jobs and pay their own way.
Thousands of migrants have arrived in Chicago over the past year, with many coming after states closer to the nation鈥檚 southern border loaded people on buses.
But people involved in the potential 51黑料 resettlement effort say they aren鈥檛 focused on people transported by bus to Chicago and seeking asylum.
Instead, the migrants targeted by the 51黑料 effort must pass background checks and have a financial sponsor in the United States before they are accepted into the humanitarian parole program.
Arrey Obenson, the international institute鈥檚 president and CEO, told the council that the local effort is a way to help turn around population decline in the region.
He said 92% of refugees from Ukraine, who came to the 51黑料 area under a similar humanitarian parole program, became self-sufficient within eight months. He said many live in the St. Charles area.
Jose Ponce, board chairman of the metro area鈥檚 Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, urged the council to make its decision based on facts. He said the institute鈥檚 effort is aimed at bringing people with proper documentation who want to contribute to society.
鈥淭his is what the American dream is all about,鈥 he said.
Obenson, in an interview earlier Monday, asked why council members are raising questions about efforts to attract potential Latino migrants but haven鈥檛 done so about refugees from Ukraine already here under a similar humanitarian parole program.
He also said he worried that the council resolution could hinder the metro area鈥檚 general efforts to attract immigrants.
鈥淲e are doing everything we can to ... make 51黑料 attractive to immigrants across the country,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e worry that circumstances like this get in our way toward working together to make our community more prosperous.鈥
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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