TOGETHER.

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOGETHER.

WE CAN DRIVE CHANGE.

>> CHICAGO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVED MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON.

16.6 BILLION DOLLAR SPENDING PLAN TODAY.

THE PASSAGE COMES DESPITE CONCERNS THAT THE BUDGET DOES NOT SET ASIDE ENOUGH MONEY TO CARE FOR THE MORE THAN 21,000 MIGRANTS WHO MADE THEIR WAY TO CHICAGO.

INSTEAD, JOHNSON AND HIS ALLIES CELEBRATED THE BUDGET AS A DOWN PAYMENT ON PLEDGES JOHNSON MADE DURING THE CAMPAIGN TO INVEST IN WORKING CLASS CHICAGOANS WTW NEWS REPORTER HEATHER SHARON JOINS US NOW WITH MORE FROM CITY HALL.

HEADER.

YOU'VE REPORTED THAT THE NEGOTIATIONS OVER THIS BUDGET, WE'RE DEFINED THE DEBATE OVER HOW TO CARE FOR THE MIGRANTS, INCLUDING THE 2400 MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO ARE STILL ON A POLICE STATION.

FLOORS ACROSS THE CITY AS WELL AS AT O'HARE AIRPORT.

HERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF THE DEBATE TODAY.

>> MY GREATER CONCERN IS THE 150 MILLION DOLLAR BLANK CHECK FOR THE MIGRANT CRISIS.

IT IS NO SECRET.

THAT THIS ISSUE IS TEARING THIS CITY APART.

>> I DON'T EXPECT THAT ANY OF US ARE GOING TO SIT BACK AND HOPE AND PRAY.

I THINK WE'RE GOING TO PASS THIS BUDGET.

AND WE'RE GOING TO DO EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR.

AND THAT IS TO COLLABORATE.

THAT IS TO GET TO WORK.

>> SO HEAD OF THE BUDGET SETS ASIDE 150 MILLION DOLLARS TO CARE FOR THE MIGRANTS.

BUT WILL THAT BE ENOUGH?

AND IS THERE A BACKUP PLAN?

>> SO IT WILL NOT BE ENOUGH BY EVERYONE'S ACCOUNT AND THERE IS NO BACKUP PLAN IN THE BUDGET.

BUT IN HIS NEWS CONFERENCE AFTER THE ADOPTION OF THE BUDGET, WE GOT A GLIMPSE FROM MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON ABOUT WHAT THAT NEXT PLAN IS.

AND IT IS APPARENTLY AN ENTIRELY NEW APPROACH.

THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS GRIPPING CHICAGO AND THE CENTERPIECE OF THAT NEW APPROACH APPEARS TO BE A 60 DAY LIMIT ON HOW LONG MIGRANTS CAN STAY IN CITY SHELTERS.

WE'RE EXPECTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS LATER THIS WEEK.

AND IT'S NOT CLEAR HOW THE CITY WOULD ENFORCE OR WHERE PEOPLE WOULD GO IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANYWHERE TO GO AT AT THAT 61ST DAY.

SO THERE IS A PLAN.

WE ONLY HAVE THE BRIEFEST GLIMPSE OF IT TODAY.

>> THE ARRIVAL OF MIGRANTS HAD ARE EXPOSING DEEP TENSION BETWEEN CHICAGO'S BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES WITH MANY BLACK OLDER PEOPLE RELUCTANT TO SPEND MORE MONEY TO CARE FOR THE MIGRANTS WHEN THEIR COMMUNITIES HAVE SUFFERED FROM DECADES OF DISINVESTMENT.

HOW DID JOHNSON THREAD THAT NEEDLE?

>> WELL, THE BUDGET INCLUDES TO A HIGH PRIORITIES FOR THE BLACK CAUCUS.

5 MILLION DOLLARS FOR NEW EFFORTS TO WELCOME PEOPLE RETURNING TO CHICAGO FROM JAIL OR PRISON AS WELL AS $500,000 TO STUDY WHETHER TO PAY REPARATIONS TO THE DESCENDANTS OF ENSLAVED AFRICANS.

THE ISSUE FOR THE BLACK CAUCUS WAS THAT THEY REPRESENT WARDS THAT HAVE SEEN DECADES OF DISINVESTMENT AND THEM AND THEIR CONSTITUENTS HAVE BEEN REALLY FRUSTRATED AND HURT TO SEE THE CITY MOBILIZE A FULL FORCE OF GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE MIGRANT WHO ARE JUST RECENT ARRIVALS TO CHICAGOANS WHEN THEY AND THEIR FAMILIES HAVE BEEN HERE IN CHICAGO FOR GENERATIONS SUFFERING UNDER POVERTY CRIME.

AND AS I SAID, A LOT OF PUBLIC DISINVESTMENT ARE GOING TO GET INTO SOME OF THOSE INITIATIVES THAT YOU IN JUST A FEW MINUTES.

HEATHER, AS WELL.

BUT HERE'S WHAT SOME OF MAYOR JOHNSON SAID AFTER THE BUDGET WAS VOTED ON.

>> WE DID EVERYTHING I SAID I WOULD DO.

MY WORD.

HEATHER.

HOW EXACTLY DOES THIS BUDGET START TO FULFILL SOME OF JOHNSON'S CAMPAIGN PROMISES?

>> WELL, DURING THE CAMPAIGN, WE HEARD A LOT FROM JOHNSON ABOUT THE SO-CALLED TREATMENT, NOT TRAUMA PROPOSAL.

AND THIS BUDGET DOES MAKE AN INITIAL PAYMENT ON THOSE EFFORTS, INCLUDING PROFIT, INCLUDING REOPENING TO MENTAL HEALTH CLINICS AND EXPANDING THE CITY'S EFFORTS RESPOND TO 9-1-1.

CALLS FOR HELP FROM PEOPLE SUFFERING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS IS THAT IS NOW A PERMANENT PART OF THE CITY'S EMERGENCY RESPONSE.

BIG BIG WINS FOR JOHNSON AND HIS ALLIES THAT WERE BLOCKED UNDER FORMER MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT.

>> HAD A SHARON AT CITY