CHICAGO (AP) — The city of Chicago will open five new immigrant buildings in the coming weeks as it reopens Park District buildings that host popular summer camps, athletic competitions and other community events in time for summer. The plan is to close the evacuation center and relocate about 800 people, including families.
The changes are part of the city’s ongoing efforts to meet the needs of people arriving from the U.S. border with Mexico.
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Advocates for the new arrivals have frequently criticized Democratic Mayor Brandon Johnson, saying the services available to them are inadequate. Others believe the city is unfairly prioritizing new arrivals over longtime residents, including unhoused people with similar needs.
Fieldhouse at Gage Park can be seen in Chicago on Thursday, March 28, 2024. Gage Park is one of five migrant shelters that the city of Chicago plans to close in the coming weeks. The city’s first steps will be to move 800 people to other shelters starting Saturday and demolish the park district’s fieldhouse to resume normal operations for the summer. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
Why close shelters now?
This week, Prime Minister Johnson announced plans to close the park district’s shelters, saying they are “no longer needed.”
“I would like to thank my administration, our partners, and the many Chicagoans who stepped up to provide shelter and welcome new arrivals to the Park District encampment at a time of clear need,” Johnson said in a statement Monday. I’m proud of the effort.” .
“We are grateful to the council and the community for welcoming our new neighbors with open arms, and we are pleased that these park facilities will be returned to their original use in time for summer programming. ”
More than 37,000 migrants have reportedly arrived in Chicago since 2022, when Texas Governor Greg Abbott began sending buses carrying people to so-called sanctuary cities. Many of the immigrants landing in Chicago come from Venezuela, where social, political and economic crises have pushed millions into poverty, with three-quarters of residents living on less than $1.90 a day. ing.
The city initially looked for other temporary shelters, using police stations and the airport. Some of the neighbors surrounding some of the park district’s fieldhouses have regularly protested their use as shelters since last summer.
On Friday, the city’s dashboard showed more than 10,000 people remained in city-run shelters. This is down from a peak of nearly 15,000 in January.
The city has not said when all of the park’s buildings will be vacated, only saying it will take several weeks. Volunteers working with migrants said they were told residents of at least two of the park’s buildings would begin moving to other evacuation centers on Saturday.
What about other shelters?
Nearly 20 other temporary shelters remain in operation across the city, including churches, hotels, libraries, and former warehouses. According to the city’s latest information this month, the largest evacuation centers are housing more than 1,000 people, while others have closer to 100 people.
Johnson’s statement said the city is looking to move people, especially families with children who attend nearby schools, to other shelters near park buildings.
The city of Chicago began imposing a 60-day limit on shelter stays in mid-March. But few people are still being evicted due to a number of exemptions, including for households with children in school.
So far, the city reports only 24 people have been evacuated from shelters because of the cap.
Other U.S. cities, including New York and Denver, have instituted similar shelter restrictions to deal with the limited resources available to migrants arriving by bus or plane. Mayors and others are also calling for more help from the federal government.
In Chicago, evicted people can return to the city’s “landing zone” and reapply for shelter. Volunteers said this could mean people leaving the shelter and being sent back to the same location.
What does this mean for immigrants?
Volunteers working with the new arrivals said they understand the neighborhood’s desire to have the park district’s facilities back for camps and other programs that are popular, especially during the summer.
But they fear the forced removals will undermine migrants’ efforts to find work and send their children to school.
“Most people are always actively trying to figure out how to get out of the shelter,” said volunteer Lydia Wong. “I don’t know at all whether this will help facilitate. The city has said it wants to keep people relatively close together, but this is very disruptive, new routes, new ways to get to school and work. need to be found.”
Several people living in park-based shelters told The Associated Press this week that they have received little information about the city’s plans, including where they will be relocated. They declined to give their names, but some said they did not want to face retaliation from employees of the private agency operating the shelter.
As of Wednesday, the city said more than 15,000 people had found alternative housing since officials began collecting data in 2022.
Many people are seeking rent assistance provided by the state. More than 5,600 families are using the program to find housing, according to the Illinois Department of Human Services.
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With a few exceptions, such as diplomats and people on tourist visas, immigrants in the United States must notify authorities when they move.
Asylum seekers in the immigration court system have a five-day grace period after changing their address to ensure they receive notification from the court. Lost mail may not directly sink a case, but failure to appear at a court date could lead to deportation.
