Experts predict inflation election trouble for Biden: ‘Too late’ to fix
Economy experts are predicting trouble for President Biden as the nation draws closer to the November general election, leaving little time for his administration to fix the stubbornly high inflation plaguing Americans. Inflation currently sits at 3.3% year over year, according to Department of Labor statistics. Although down from a near-record high of 9.1% in June 2022, it’s still higher than at any point in the last decade prior to Biden taking office. The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced it would maintain the federal funds rate range at 5.25% to 5.5%, where rates have held steady since last July, an expected decision considering inflation rose less than predicted for the 12 months ending in May and the core Consumer Price Index rose a better than expected 3.4%. TRUMP RALLY DRAWS SWING STATE VOTERS ANGRY OVER ‘SHAM’ CONVICTION: ‘BIGGEST SCAM EVER’ Fed Chair Jerome Powell said the report builds confidence that inflation is moving toward the 2% target, but he also said more evidence is needed before the central bank begins easing policy. Economist Peter Morici said the report was “certainly good news” for Biden, but noted that “prices are still up, and it’s only one report.” He also pointed to factors that influenced the report as not being pocketbook issues for most Americans. “[The report] was driven largely by energy prices falling. In the services sector, inflation is still very robust. … Housing and the cost of shelter are rising 5% per year,” he said, adding that energy prices are subject to fluctuation and could look very different in a month. “The underlying sources of inflation that trouble the Fed are still present. The Fed will not be able to cut interest rates a lot this year, if at all. Even if it does, it will come too late to give much help to Joe Biden.” BIDEN CAMP JABS AT TRUMP’S ‘FAILED’ BUSINESS RECORD AS FORMER PRESIDENT LOOKS TO SWAY NATION’S TOP CEOs Joseph LaVorgna, an economist who served as chief of former President Trump’s economic counsel, told Fox he didn’t think inflation was going to come down, but he also said, prior to the report, that the Fed “doesn’t want a quick reaction.” “If I was advising the president, I’d want to do things to get inflation as low as possible,” he said. “The administration, I would argue, has pursued policies that have made the inflation situation unfortunately worse.” “Never in the history of the economy have we ever run budget deficits above 5% of GDP with unemployment under 4%. That is a recipe for high inflation, which is what we have,” he said. “I’m concerned the only way we’re going to get inflation down, at least to where the guidelines are set where people aren’t feeling the pain of higher prices, unfortunately, is a recession.” Dr. Arthur Laffer, an economist who served in both the Reagan and Trump administrations, said he couldn’t predict how the economy and inflation would affect the overall results of the upcoming election, but he argued the Biden administration had broken the major “kingdoms” of economics, namely by going in the wrong direction on taxes, government spending, monetary policy, regulation and trade. BIDEN TAKES HEAT FROM SWING STATE DEMOCRAT OVER HIGH GAS PRICES PLAGUING CONSTITUENTS: ‘DISAPPOINTING’ “When I look at the ‘five Kingdoms,’ taxation, he moves in the wrong direction. Government spending? He moved in the wrong direction. Sound money? He moved in the wrong direction. Regulation is way moved in the wrong direction, especially in energy, but in other things, too. On trade? He moved in the wrong direction,” Laffer said. “I can’t imagine an administration more at odds with what should be done, and the consequences are very, very clear,” he added. “The employment population is not quite back up to where it was prior to the pandemic. Price levels are way up. Interest rates — I could just go on and on. That’s the way I would look at him objectively, as an economist. [Biden] just doesn’t know economics and nor does his administration.” When it comes to the election, however, Laffer said you’d “have to get out your Ouija board.” FOX Business’ Nora Colomer contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
RNC opens Latinos for Trump field office in battleground Pennsylvania
The Republican National Committee opened a Latino Americans for Trump field office in Berks County, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, with former Governor of Puerto Rico Luis Fortuno and Republican nominee for U.S. Senate Dave McCormick on the stump, appealing to Hispanic voters on the border and inflation. The office opening in Reading came days after the Trump campaign relaunched its Hispanic coalition, committed to re-electing former President Trump this November. Founded as Latinos for Trump during the 2020 election, the campaign announced the relaunch ahead of a Trump rally in Las Vegas Sunday. Trump lost battleground Pennsylvania to President Biden by just 1.17% of the vote in 2020. In Berks County, where the RNC field office just opened, Trump beat Biden by just under 17,000 votes. “We wanted to identify Latinos with Americans,” Jaime Florez, Hispanic communications director for the Trump Campaign, told Fox News in an interview about the relaunch. “We are Americans. We have been in this country. We vote in the country. We are citizens. … We’re not here for a couple of years, and then we go back to our countries. No, we came here to stay. TRUMP RALLY DRAWS SWING STATE VOTERS ANGRY OVER ‘SHAM’ CONVICTION: ‘BIGGEST SCAM EVER’ “President Reagan used to say that Hispanics are Republicans. They just don’t know it. Well, we’re finding out.” Florez added. “Democrats took us for granted for way too long and made us promises that they never fulfilled.” National polls indicate that young, Black and Hispanic voters are embracing the Republican Party amid concerns over inflation. A Fox News poll conducted in May 2024 found 17% of Hispanic voters said the economy is their single deciding issue in the 2024 election. KEY BATTLEGROUND TIPS TO TRUMP, ACCORDING TO LATEST POLL From politicians to Pennsylvanians, two issues were top of mind at the RNC office opening on Wednesday — the economy and the border. “Everyone is hurting. Really,” former Governor of Puerto Rico Luis Fortuno told Fox News in an exclusive interview. “Most people are hurting, and they want change. The Republican Party is the only party that can bring about that change just to make sure that we keep more of our hard-earned money, that we protect the family and our communities and that we stand strong as a country.” Fortuno emphasized the need to elect Republicans up and down the ballot this November, telling Pennsylvanians — in English and Spanish — to vote for U.S. Senate Candidate Dave McCormick. Emphasizing his business background, Fortuno said McCormick understands the weight of inflation Pennsylvanians feel on a daily basis. Speaking with reporters after his remarks at the office opening, McCormick said he’s vying for every Pennsylvanian’s vote and sees an opportunity to connect with the Latino community over shared policy concerns. ARMY VET PREDICTS FIRST RED FLIP OF NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT SINCE 1883, CITING BIDEN-ERA MALAISE “Republican values are very much aligned with many in the Latino community,” McCormick told reporters. “It’s essentially the idea of creating an economy and creating an environment that allows people to pursue the American dream. Industrious, hard-working, want the best thing for their children and an economy where small businesses can prosper and create jobs, where they can raise their kids in communities that are safe. I think that lines up very well with the principles of the Republican Party.” Pennsylvanians are seeing Latino Americans shift to the Republican Party. “They’ve been duped all these years by the Democrats,” Kathy, a retired voter from Reading, told Fox News Wednesday. “They’ve been told, ‘Oh, we’ll do this for you. We’ll do that for you.’ And they’re only using them. They don’t do anything for them, for the minorities.” District 157 Candidate for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Regina Mauro echoed Kathy’s sentiment that Democrats have failed Latinos in an interview ahead of the office opening. “They see the weakness of the current leadership,” Mauro told Fox News of the political shift in Latino voters. “Latinos, we like strong leaders. So, whether it’s the situation domestically or with foreign policy, economically, we’ve been extremely disappointed. … We need peace. We need more stability” Mauro said common sense is driving “Trumplicans,” whom she described as minority voters formerly of the Democratic Party, to turn away from President Biden and embrace former President Trump. “I’m a first-generation American,” Mauro said of the frustration felt by legal immigrants. “My parents, my whole family came from Cuba. A lot of Hispanics take offense to having the one line for legal immigrants where they spend a lot of money and years to do the right thing, the respectful thing like you would for any other country. Just to see, Democrat politicians that are catering to foreigners to come through the border, to just, in essence, skip the line.” Hispanic voters have seen a revolving door of presidential campaigns vying for their vote this election cycle as Trump, Biden and even Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are competing for young, Black and Hispanic votes. The Biden campaign launched Latinos con Biden-Harris in March to “engage and mobilize Latino voters, communities, and leaders across the country.” “Donald Trump does not care about the Latino community,” Biden-Harris 2024 Pennsylvania Hispanic media press secretary Nemesis Mora said in a statement to Fox News on the “Latino Americans for Trump” office opening. “He’s spent his entire adult life vilifying us, and his entire time in office making our communities worse off. … The truth is, Donald Trump has failed Latinos and our families, while President Biden has actually delivered real results for Pennsylvanians, like lowering health care costs, creating good-paying jobs resulting in the lowest Latino unemployment ever and making historic investments leading to Latino small businesses opening at the fastest rate in a decade. That’s why this November Latinos in Pennsylvania will send Trump back to Mar-a-Lago.” The Biden campaign has 24 offices and more than a hundred staffers on the ground in Pennsylvania. President Biden and Vice President Harris visited Pennsylvania more than 10 times
Voter advocacy groups ask feds to step in after Texas allowed some voters’ ballots to be identified
The request comes as state and local officials undermined ballot secrecy in their bids for election transparency.
Speakers, venue pull out of prominent activist group’s pro-Christian nationalist conference
True Texas Project, which has close ties to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and other Republicans, blamed “woke attacks” on public backlash to their July convention.
Trump has ‘sort of a pretty good idea’ of VP pick, will probably announce during RNC convention
Former President Trump said he has “sort of a pretty good idea” of who his vice presidential running mate will be but will probably announce his selection during this summer’s Republican National Convention. Trump spoke with Fox News’ Aishah Hasnie at the Washington D.C., headquarters of the Republican National Committee on Thursday following meetings with the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He was asked if his pick was present at any of the meetings. TRUMP RILES UP FIERY SWING STATE CROWD IN FIRST RALLY SINCE NEW YORK CONVICTION “Probably. I don’t want to go, but I think (it) will probably get announced during the convention,” Trump said. “During the convention. There were some good people and, we have some very good people.” The convention will be held from July 15-18 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Trump said that Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, could be on the short list. “And I think I could consider that,” he said. “Yes. I haven’t been asked that question, but he would be on that list.” Hasnie also asked Trump about his thoughts on President Biden as a father following Hunter Biden‘s conviction on federal gun charges. “Well, I think it’s a very serious thing,” Trump said. “I understand that whole subject. I understand it pretty well because I’ve had it with people who have it in their family,” referring to the younger Biden’s history of drug addiction. BIDEN CAMP JABS AT TRUMP’S ‘FAILED’ BUSINESS RECORD AS FORMER PRESIDENT LOOKS TO SWAY NATION’S TOP CEOS “It’s a very tough thing. It’s a very tough situation for a father,” he added. “It’s a very tough situation for a brother or sister. And it goes on and it’s not stopping. Whether it’s alcohol or drugs or whatever it may be. It’s a tough thing. And so that’s a tough moment for the family. It’s a tough moment for any family involved in that.” Hunter Biden was convicted last week of three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver in 2018 when he lied on a federal gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs. Biden has said he will not use his presidential powers to appeal his son’s conviction. He’s also said in the past that he was proud of his son and that he believes he did nothing wrong. “As I said last week, I am the President, but I am also a Dad. Jill and I love our son, and we are so proud of the man he is today,” Biden said after the verdict. “So many families who have had loved ones battle addiction understand the feeling of pride seeing someone you love come out the other side and be so strong and resilient in recovery.” Later in his interview, Trump said he hadn’t been asked to endorse former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, for the U.S. Senate. Hogan endorsed Nikki Haley over Trump and did not endorse him during the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections. “Yeah, I’d like to see him win,” Trump said. “I think he has a good chance to win. I would like to see him win.”
Fani Willis tells church congregation she’s ‘thriving’ despite critics’ attempts to ‘humiliate’ her
Embattled District Attorney Fani Willis spoke at a Georgia church Thursday, telling a boisterous group of congregants that she is “thriving” despite her critics’ attempts to “humiliate” her. The Fulton County DA is at the center of the sweeping case against former President Trump and 18 co-defendants for alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump was indicted by Willis in August. Earlier this year, co-defendants accused Willis of having an “improper” affair with special prosecutor Nathan Wade, whom she hired to help prosecute the case. Trump and several defendants are now at the Georgia Court of Appeals attempting to have Willis disqualified from the case, citing a conflict of interest. Willis is also under investigation by two state legislative committees and by federal lawmakers. But Wills addressed the congregation at the Sixth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) for the Georgia AME’s Annual Planning Meeting, saying she is “thriving” despite the “attacks” on her. FANI WILLIS FILES ‘LAST DITCH EFFORT’ TO DISMISS THE APPEAL TO HAVE HER DISQUALIFIED FROM TRUMP’S GEORGIA CASE “The Black woman in America is the most unprotected person in our society,” she said. “I spend no time thinking about” what her critics say, Willis said. “I’m too busy celebrating our fineness, our beauty, our success, our wisdom, but most of all our hearts to be bothered by attacks from anyone. See, that’s why they mad. Because why they over there running they mouth, I’m over here paying them no mind, thriving.” “I live the experience of a Black woman who is attacked and oversexualized,” Willis said later. She also said that some of her critics mispronounce her name in an effort to “humilate” her. The Georgia Court of Appeals on Oct. 4 will hear arguments by Trump’s team that Willis should be disqualified, alleging she financially benefited from Wade’s roughly $600,000 payout for his special prosecutor work through vacations he and Willis would share. Both Wade and Willis denied they were in a romantic relationship prior to his hiring and that the couple would split the costs of their shared travels; Willis said she reimbursed Wade for her share of the trips in cash. GEORGIA PROSECUTOR FANI WILLIS APPEALS AFTER JUDGE DROPS MULTIPLE TRUMP CHARGES Both Willis and Wade insisted that their relationship started in 2022 after Wade was hired. But they contradicted testimony from Robin Yeartie, a former “good friend” of Willis and past employee at the DA’s office. Yeartie said she had “no doubt” that Willis and Wade’s relationship started in 2019, after the two met at a conference. In a CNN interview Wednesday night, Nathan Wade said the only thing he regretted about his relationship with the DA was “the timing of it.” Wade’s interview was bizarrely interrupted when CNN anchor Caitlin Collins pressed Wade, “Just to clarify, when did the romantic relationship between the two of you start?” “Yeah, so, we get into – there’s been this effort to say that these exact dates are at issue and these exact dates,” Wade said before his eyes turned to the side. “I’m getting signals here,” Wade then told Collins, looking away to others in the room. TRUMP’S APPEAL TO DISQUALIFY FANI WILLIS FROM GA CASE GETS OCTOBER HEARING DATE With cameras still rolling, Wade had his microphone removed and stepped to the corner with his consultant to talk privately before returning to his seat moments later. Collins revisited her question about the timeline of Wade’s affair with Willis, and his answer shifted drastically. “I believe that the public has through the testimony and other interviews, the public has a clear snapshot that this is clearly just a distraction. It is not a relevant issue in this case and I think we should be focusing on more of the facts in the indictment of the case,” Wade said. Fox News Digital’s Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.
Justice Department finds Phoenix Police have used excessive force, discriminated against minorities
The Justice Department announced Thursday that police in Phoenix have been engaging in conduct that violates the Constitution and federal law by using “excessive force” and discriminating against Black, Hispanic and Native American people, among other actions. A “comprehensive investigation” into the Phoenix Police Department has uncovered that it and the city “unlawfully detain, cite, and arrest people experiencing homelessness and unlawfully dispose of their belongings,” as well as “discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when dispatching calls for assistance and responding to people in crisis,” the Justice Department says. “The Justice Department has concluded there is reasonable cause to believe that the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives its residents and visitors, including Black, Hispanic, and Native American people, of their rights under the Constitution and federal law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “The release of today’s findings report is an important step toward accountability and transparency, and we are committed to working with the City of Phoenix and Phoenix Police Department on meaningful reform that protects the civil rights and safety of Phoenix residents and strengthens police-community trust.” ARIZONA POLICE OFFICER KILLED BY GUNMAN WHILE RESPONDING TO ‘DISTURBANCE’ The Justice Department says it began investigating Phoenix law enforcement in August 2021 and based its findings on interviews, police interactions, thousands of documents and hundreds of hours of body-worn camera footage. It said it found Phoenix Police to use “excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and other types of force.” LOUISVILLE POLICE ENTER NEGOTIATIONS WITH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT AFTER REPORT ON RACIAL DISCRIMINATION “The police also used excessive force, delayed necessary medical aid and infringed on the civil rights of those engaged in First Amendment-protected conduct, including demonstrations and protests,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said. “Consistent with its standard practice in investigations of other cities, the Department provided a detailed briefing on the findings to the City and PhxPD on Tuesday, and proposed that the parties agree in principle to negotiate expeditiously and in good faith to reach a comprehensive court-enforceable settlement with independent monitoring,” the Justice Department added.
Trump, Youngkin meet for first time as GOP eyes winning Virginia in November
Former President Donald Trump and Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin met this week. They discussed efforts to flip Virginia red in the 2024 presidential election, Fox News Digital has learned. A source with knowledge of the meeting told Fox News Digital on Thursday that Trump and Youngkin had discussed recent polling showing Trump neck-and-neck with President Biden in the Old Dominion State, after Biden won the state by 10 points in 2020. The meeting included discussions on how Trump can pull ahead of Biden as the election cycle further intensifies. The pair also discussed the issues of energy, inflation and trade. The meeting is described as a first ever between the 45th president and Youngkin, who was elected governor in the state’s 2021 election. Youngkin is the state’s first Republican governor since Bob McDonnell’s tenure from 2010 to 2014. YOUNGKIN CALLS OUT PENTAGON’S PLAN TO GIFT CHINA MILLIONS WITH ROOFTOP SOLAR PANELS Virginia has voted for Democrats in each presidential election since President Barack Obama’s first campaign for the White House in 2008. Virginia, which is home to many who work in neighboring Washington, D.C., has not been considered a battleground state in the 2024 election, but recent polling indicates that it could play out to being a tighter than anticipated race. Youngkin has previously said that Virginia “is in play” and could deliver a win to Trump come November. “I think Virginia is in play. Let’s just remind ourselves – Joe Biden won Virginia by 10 points in 2020. I ended up winning by two the next year. What we’ve demonstrated is commonsense conservative policies work, and Virginians appreciate that,” Youngkin said in an interview with radio host and Fox News contributor Guy Benson last month. Back in 2020, Biden won the state by 10 points over Trump. During the 2016 election, when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton faced off against Trump, the Democratic Party also claimed victory over Virginia, with Clinton earning 49.8% of the vote to Trump’s 44.4%. A Fox News poll published earlier this month shows the 45th president and Biden with 48% support each in a deadlocked match-up in the Old Dominion State. YOUNGKIN DECLARES ‘INDEPENDENCE FROM CALIFORNIA’ AS VIRGINIA EXITS EMISSIONS PACT In a multi-candidate race, Biden stands at 42%, and Trump at 41%, with Democrat-turned-independent Robert K. Kennedy at 9% and Green Party candidate Jill Stein and independent Cornel West each at 2%. Youngkin captured the governor’s office in 2021, thanks in part to Trump’s backing, although Youngkin and Trump had never met in person. Republicans also won the races for Virginia lieutenant governor and attorney general in the party’s first statewide victories in a dozen years. They also flipped the state House, and the victories in a state that had trended blue over the previous decade energized Republicans nationwide. Last November, however, Democrats won back the majority in the state House and defended their control of the state Senate in a setback for Youngkin, who had led the Republican charge on the campaign trail even though his name wasn’t on the ballot. FOX NEWS POLL: BIDEN, TRUMP IN A DEAD HEAT IN VIRGINIA “To even be having this conversation today, I think fully reflects the change in view about not only the strength that Donald Trump would bring to the presidency, but the weakness that Joe Biden has demonstrated,” Youngkin told Fox News’ MacCallum in an interview this month. “We have economic weakness, we have national security weakness, we have chaos at the border, we have energy weakness, and Americans and Virginians are ready for a change. That’s why I do think states that in 2016 were not in play, I think can be in play this year. It’s still early days, but this strength from President Trump, not only in Virginia but around the country, is clear, and I think Virginians and Americans are ready for change.” KEY BATTLEGROUND TIPS TO TRUMP, ACCORDING TO LATEST POLL Looking ahead to this autumn’s elections, Youngkin noted that he has “fully endorsed” Trump and said, “We’re going to enthusiastically campaign in order to win this thing.” There was plenty of speculation last year that Youngkin would potentially launch a White House run of his own, but the governor has kept his focus squarely on his home state. The source with knowledge of Youngkin’s meeting with Trump told Fox News Digital that the pair did not discuss his possibility as a running mate. When asked in a previous interview about the possibility of a 2028 White House run, Youngkin pivoted and said his priority is “to be the best governor I possibly can in the Commonwealth, and I gotta tell you, I love this job. We have made huge progress, and I’ve got almost another two years to continue to do for Virginia what Virginians hired me to do.”
President Biden says he is ‘extremely proud’ of Hunter, though will not pardon him
President Biden told reporters at the G7 summit that he was “extremely proud” of Hunter though he would not pardon him, marking the first time he has commented on the matter since his son’s conviction. Biden and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met during the G7 on Thursday in Italy to sign a joint agreement between the two countries as Ukraine continues to fend off attacks by Russia. After signing the agreement, reporters were given the opportunity to ask questions of both presidents. Biden called a reporter from The Associated Press, who not only asked about expanding the parameters on U.S. weapons into Russia, but also about Biden’s son Hunter. HUNTER BIDEN FOUND GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS IN GUN TRIAL “You’re going through something that so many American families go through, the intersection of addiction and the criminal justice system. But you’re not like most families. Was your son able to get a fair trial? Do you believe the Justice Department operated independently of politics,” the reporter asked. “With regard to the question regarding the family. I’m extremely proud of my son, Hunter. He has overcome an addiction. He has. He’s one of the brightest, most decent men I know. And I am satisfied that I’m not going to do anything. I said, I said, I’d abide by the jury decision. I will do that, and I will not pardon him,” Biden responded. Hunter was found guilty of federal gun charges by a Delaware jury on Tuesday and faces up to 25 years in prison, though he isn’t expected to receive the maximum penalty.
Homelessness skyrockets in sanctuary city as migrants surge into shelter
Chicago saw a massive increase in the number of homeless people in the city over the past year, fueled by the ongoing migrant surge into shelters in the sanctuary city, according to new data. The city, which will host the Democratic National Convention in August, released a snapshot of homeless numbers in the Windy City, which showed there were 18,836 homeless people one night in January, up from 6,139 the same day a year before. The point-in-time count estimates the number of people in shelters, transitional housing, encampments and other “unsheltered” locations. The estimate noted the pressures the migrant crisis poses to the city. ‘FERVENT OPPOSITION’: BLUE CITY MAYOR SCRAPS PLAN TO OPEN NEW MIGRANT SHELTER AFTER BACKLASH “Since August 2022, Chicago has welcomed over 40,000 New Arrivals arriving from the southern border, many of whom have needed shelter and services,” it said. “The largest increase in this year’s Shelter Count was due to the continued influx of New Arrivals to Chicago in 2023.” Of the 18,838 considered homeless, 13,679 were classified as “sheltered new arrivals” and 1,422 were “unsheltered new arrivals.” The number of “non-new arrivals” who did not have shelter increased from 970 to 1,422, and those in shelter increased from 2,973 to 3,523. SANCTUARY CITY POLICY ARREST OVER 1K MIGRANTS FROM THIS COUNTRY AS RESIDENTS RAGE AGAINST DEM LEADERS City officials said the pressures, which also include the end of pandemic-era support from the federal and state governments, would have been worse if it hadn’t been for an increase in shelter capacity. “We were anticipating this increase, but we also, at the same time, increased our shelter capacity more than five times,” Maura McCauley, managing deputy commissioner for the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, told the Chicago Sun-Times. “And if we hadn’t done that, we really think that we would have seen a really unprecedented and tragic increase in our unsheltered population.” CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF THE BORDER SECURITY CRISIS The numbers are an indicator of the considerable pressures on the city from the surge in migrants, which has been fueled by the crisis at the southern border and the decision by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to bus migrants to sanctuary cities to relieve pressure on the overwhelmed state. Fox previously reported that Chicago Police have made more than 1,000 arrests of Venezuelan nationals in the first three months of 2024. The city’s council, meanwhile, recently voted 30-18 to approve a request made by Mayor Brandon Johnson for an additional $70 million to help deal with the crisis. That money is on top of a $150 million assigned to migrant care in the budget already. The extra funding move sparked considerable backlash from residents, who said the money should be spent on Americans rather than those in the country illegally. Johnson, along with mayors from other blue cities, have called for more action from the federal government. They have requested $5 billion in funding and expedited work permits for asylum seekers. The Biden administration has called on Congress to act to fix a “broken” immigration system, but Republicans have said that the crisis has emerged from Biden-era policies and a pull factor from those “sanctuary” cities like Chicago, which offer services and shelter to illegal immigrants.