>> THE MONTHSLONG EFFORT TO WEAKEN CHICAGO SELF-PROCLAIMED STATUS AS A SAINT TREE CITY RAN AGROUND TODAY.
THAT'S BECAUSE MORE THAN 3 FIFTHS OF CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS REFUSED TO CONSIDER A MEASURE THAT WOULD HAVE PUT THE QUESTION TO VOTERS IN MARCH.
THEY'RE BROUGHT AN OUTRAGE.
ALDERMAN ANTHONY BEALE TO HIS FEET.
>> WHAT ARE YOU SCARED OF TO LET THE PEOPLE HAVE A VOICE?
WHAT ARE YOU >> WBTW NEWS REPORTER HEATHER SHARON JOINS US NOW WITH MORE ON THE LATEST ON THIS FIGHT WILL THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
HEATHER.
NOW FIRST QUESTION.
REMIND US WHAT IT MEANS THAT CHICAGO IS THE SAME TREE CITY MORE THAN 38 YEARS.
CHICAGO HAS BEEN A SELF-PROCLAIMED SANCTUARY CITY, WHICH MEANS THAT CITY OFFICIALS ACROSS THE BOARD ARE PROHIBITED FROM HELPING FEDERAL IMMIGRATION AGENTS.
>> DETAIN PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE OTHERWISE AT RISK DEPORTATION BECAUSE THEY'RE UNDOCUMENTED.
NOW THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE MIGRANTS WHO HAVE COME HERE FROM TEXAS, MANY ON BUSES PAID FOR BY REPUBLICAN GOVERNOR GREG ABBOTT HOPING TO HURT PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN'S REELECTION.
CHANCES BECAUSE THEY ARE ALL IN THE COUNTRY LEGALLY AFTER HAVING REQUESTED ASYLUM AND WAITING FOR THE COURT SYSTEM TO HEAR THEIR CASE.
BUT THAT CRISIS HAS FUELED NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SANCTUARY CITY, OF COURSE.
AND WHAT DID ALDERMAN VO WHO JOINED FORCES WITH ALDERMAN RAYMOND LOPEZ AND DAVID MOORE.
>> TO CALL TODAY SPECIAL MEETING.
HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH BY PUTTING THE CITY CENTER CITY STATUS UP TO VOTE.
SO BOTH ALDERMAN BEAL AND ALDERMAN LOPEZ HAVE LONG OPPOSED THE CITY'S STATUS AS A SANCTUARY CITY ALDERMAN LOPEZ SAYS IT PREVENTS THE POLICE FROM DOING THEIR JOB AND RESTING CRIMINAL.
WELL, ALDERMAN BEALE HAS BEEN VERY CRITICAL AT THAT.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THAT THE CITY HAS SPENT TO CARE FOR.
THE MIGRANTS THEY ARE USING THIS CRISIS AS AN ATTEMPT TO SORT OF GET VOTERS TO WEIGH IN ON THIS QUESTION, WHICH HAS BEEN UNTOUCHABLE FOR DECADES.
REMEMBER, IT WAS MAYOR HAROLD WASHINGTON FIRST STARTED THIS PROCESS AND IT'S BEEN RATIFIED THROUGH ALL OF THE SUCCESS OF CAN YOU BRING US UP TO DATE ON THE MIGRANT CRISIS CURRENTLY?
SO THERE ARE MORE THAN 14,000 PEOPLE IN CITY-RUN SHELTERS, ALL WHO HAVE COME HERE FROM TEXAS.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE ONLY 89 PEOPLE LIVING IN POLICE STATIONS ACROSS THE CITY AND THAT IS AN ALL-TIME LOW.
SINCE MAYOR BRANDON JOHNSON TOOK OFFICE.
NOW THERE ARE ANOTHER 250 OR SO PEOPLE AT THE AIRPORTS.
NOW THE MAYOR HAS SAID THAT HE WILL MOVE EVERYONE OUT OF THE POLICE STATIONS BY WINTER.
HE'S GOT 7 DAYS TO SEE HOW THAT GOES.
AND THEY TRIED THIS BEFORE, RIGHT?
WILL THEY TRY AGAIN?
SO ON NOVEMBER LOPEZ IN BEAL, THE ALDERMAN TRIED TO CALL A SPECIAL MEETING AND IT ERUPTED INTO CHAOS WITH ALDERMAN CARLOS RAMIREZ.
ROSA, TRYING TO STOP PEOPLE FROM COMING TO THE MEETING.
SO I COULD TAKE PLACE.
HE ULTIMATELY HAD TO RESIGN AS THE MAYOR'S FLOOR LEADER AND ZONING COMMITTEE CHAIR BECAUSE HE BLOCKED ALDERMAN IT'S FROM TRYING TO ENTER THE CHAMBER'S.
THAT MEETING NEVER TOOK PLACE.
BUT IT HAS BEEN A LONGTIME GOAL, AS I SAID, OF BOTH OLDER PEOPLE TO SORT OF QUESTION THE STATUS.
I DOUBT WE'RE GOING TO SEE ANYTHING BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR AND THE DEADLINE TO PUT A QUESTION TO VOTERS IS JANUARY 2ND, BUT THIS WILL VERY MUCH BE ON THE AGENDA FOR
