Burr Ridge Mayor Lashes Out At Governor

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso on Saturday defended Burr Ridge from the governor's office's criticism on the migrant issue.

In a statement late last week, a spokesman for Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker spoke with WGN about the state's decision to send 64 migrants at the southern border from Chicago to the Hampton Inn in Burr Ridge.

"The state has a prior relationship with the hotel being used in the suburbs and their staff has done amazing work welcoming refugees and asylum seekers before, so it is interesting that local officials are choosing this specific instance to gripe to the press about this specific group of asylum seekers that consists of about 30 families," spokesman Jordan Abudayyeh told WGN. "Gov. Pritzker has made it clear that Illinois is (a) welcoming state and xenophobia has no home here."

In his statements, Grasso, a Republican, has said the state unilaterally sent the migrants to Burr Ridge without telling village officials beforehand.

"Such an ill-advised comment exemplifies the combativeness the Governor's office has shown anyone who questions the actions of the State – from the lengthy closure of the state during the pandemic without the Legislature's concurrence and now the disrespectful manner his office is treating the Village and its residents," Grasso said.

He said Burr Ridge was a diverse community, which goes by the slogan, "A Very Special Place."

"We believe the refugees will agree," he said.

Grasso has touted the village's diversity before. He has built ties to the village's Muslim community, for instance.

In his statement Saturday, Grasso said information about the migrant situation has been hard to come by. Some residents and businesses, he said, have reached out to donate food and supplies as well as offer possible employment opportunities when it is appropriate.

"The situation is not about the refugees, who are seeking a better life in America than the one they left," Grasso said. "We wish them the best and hope they will forever remember their introduction to that better life began in Burr Ridge."

Until late Friday, no one from the governor's office, Cook County or the city of Chicago has reached out to the village, Grasso said.

Grasso said he has visited the Hampton Inn twice.

Here is what Grasso said he has learned:

• The state of Illinois is paying for the refugees' accommodations. No village tax dollars have been spent on housing and feeding the refugees.
• The state Department of Human Services has a representative at the Hampton Inn around the clock looking into opportunities for placement and facilitating asylum proceedings. The representative has been invited to the Burr Ridge Village Board meeting on Monday.

In February, the state housed Afghan refugees at the Hampton Inn without informing the village, the mayor said. That was after the Afghans went through screening and processing at immigration centers elsewhere, Grasso said. Officials found housing opportunities around the country. They were only at the Hampton Inn temporarily.