Chicago resident slams Democrats' attempts to 'racialize' immigration issues amid sanctuary city hearings

Sanctuary city mayors are facing intense scrutiny following their testimony before Congress, where they defended their resistance to federal immigration enforcement.

Chicago resident P-Rae Easley, who traveled to Washington for the House Oversight Committee hearing, voiced frustration over her city’s handling of the migrant crisis, arguing that taxpayer money should not be spent on individuals who entered the country illegally.

"Our goal is to protect our families, not people who chose to skirt our U.S. immigration laws and sneak into our country," Easley said Wednesday on "America Reports."

"It’s not fair that they’re held to a lesser standard than us. It’s like they’re special. And we want to know what makes these people so special that they can't be prosecuted, they get our tax dollars, they get free housing, they get free healthcare. It’s like we’re at a disadvantage because we’re citizens."

She expressed gratitude to Congress for shedding light on what she sees as mismanagement by Democratic city leaders, including her own mayor.

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"We have been in a situation where our tax dollars, resources, and time have been allocated to illegal aliens because our city has been magnetized for illegal immigration through sanctuary policies," she said.

The mayors of Chicago, New York, Denver, and Boston testified before the House Oversight Committee regarding their response to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies. Their testimony comes as many sanctuary cities struggle with growing financial and logistical challenges linked to the influx of migrants.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson defended his administration’s stance, arguing that deportation policies could increase crime by discouraging cooperation with law enforcement.

"Any actions that amplify fears of deportations makes Chicago more dangerous," Johnson said to lawmakers. "Those fears cause witnesses and victims to avoid cooperating with police. The cooperation of all people, regardless of their immigration status, is essential to achieving the city’s goals of reducing crime and pursuing justice for victims."

Johnson has repeatedly reaffirmed Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city, rejecting federal intervention. But residents like Easley say the policies place an unfair burden on taxpayers.

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"We don’t go to work to pay for illegal immigrants," she said. "We don’t fight the snow, and the rain, and the heat to go out into this world to pay taxes in order to pay for the entire third world."

Chicago has spent over $638 million on its "New Arrivals Mission," which funds housing, healthcare, and other services for migrants. New York City is projected to spend $3.3 billion in fiscal year 2025 to support its migrant population.

Easley, who identifies as an "eighth-generation free American," said she finds the city’s priorities "insulting."

"It’s not fair to us, especially me as an American Negro woman. I’m not an immigrant at all. So this is none of my business as a 100% eighth-generation free American," she said. "The laws and our sovereignty are not being respected."

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Easley also pushed back against claims that opposition to sanctuary policies is racially motivated.

"They want to try to make this a racialized issue, they want to try to make this xenophobic," she said. "But by doing that, it ignores people like myself who are not a part of the White majority but are 100% Americans. We can’t stand for this."