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CHICAGO — A wall of windows facing the street at the North Side Police Station in Chicago was lined with puffy suitcases one morning this week. The shiny lobby floor was covered with air mattresses, blankets and pillows. And more than 40 women, men, and children slept together wherever there was space, chatted in Spanish, and ate scrambled eggs and sausage forks laid out at long tables by volunteers.
During the final days of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s tenure, her administration saw immigrants, mostly from South America, who traveled by bus or plane from Southern states to Chicago Union Station or O’Hare International Airport and were then brought in. I was puzzled by the sudden surge in To a police station like the north side to wait for a shelter bed.
City officials and volunteers say the influx is under pressure as the chaotic realities of the U.S. immigration crisis strain the resources of Democratic-run cities to accommodate and feed thousands of new arrivals. And the inflow is expected to only increase after the federal rule change goes into effect Thursday.
For Chicago, the challenge is not just a practical one, it’s also a test of the city’s identity. Ever since Jane Adams founded Hull House, a social settlement to attract immigrants in the late 19th century, Chicago has been viewed as a gateway for newcomers, a sanctuary city welcoming outsiders.
Mary Kay McDermott, a volunteer with a local refugee resettlement group, said, “I “We say we’re a sanctuary city, but I don’t think we have the services to deal with this.”
As the number of immigrants entering Chicago has increased significantly in recent weeks, their presence throughout the city, including police stations, park facilities and neighborhood streets, has become much more visible. A few months ago, he was about 12 a day, but now more than 100 new migrants arrive every day, according to officials.
On Tuesday, Mr. Lightfoot declared a state of emergency. She said Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas who bussed thousands of immigrants from Texas to Democratic-held cities far from the border, was in the midst of a “national humanitarian crisis.” He said he had resumed sending immigrants to Chicago.
“We must all understand that this crisis is likely to get worse before it gets better,” he said in response to the urgency of the issue. “
More migrants are expected to arrive in cities like Chicago after Title 42, the federal pandemic restrictions that have allowed many immigrants to be quickly deported at the southern border, expire Thursday. .
Cities such as New York and Washington started to see an influx even before Title 42 ended. Over the past year, he said, more than 8,000 immigrants had come to Chicago, and by Wednesday, the city’s shelter beds were full and officials were scrambling to find more space.
The city has set up at least 10 shelters to house migrants and works with community organizations to provide transportation and other services. City officials say the cost to handle the influx of immigrants from January to June will be nearly $125 million. Illinois approved her $30 million to help the city respond.
The influx of immigrants has come at a critical moment in Chicago’s transition. The incoming mayor, Brandon Johnson, will take over on Monday as Mr. Lightfoot’s replacement, taking over an issue that is becoming more urgent each day.
The police station, where homeless people are allowed to wait before being placed in shelters, now serves as the city’s gateway for immigrants. Police officials are alarmed by the number of people living on the floor of the police station. At least in one place, he’s nearly filled an entire lobby, forcing officers to dispatch neighbors to other districts seeking help with routine police matters. .
Volunteers and city officials are scrambling to find medical services for migrants, including pregnant women and young children, who are suffering from colds, eyelids and COVID-19.
Thousands of immigrants arrived in Chicago last year with few belongings, limited English skills and little idea of what lay ahead for those seeking asylum and permanent residence. As the city seeks more places to house migrants, authorities are using hotels, park district buildings and empty schools as makeshift shelters.
City Councilwoman Maria Hadden, who represents Rogers Park on the Far North Side, said: “It’s unsustainable.
Hadden said that as summer approaches and city parks are gearing up for summer sports and camping, the city may be forced to use facilities for other purposes to house asylum seekers instead. I said yes.
“Which park districts are you going to close down and transfer programming to?” she said. “Where’s a school that doesn’t do summer programming? Should I cancel some things at Navy Pier?”
Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, a family physician who works with the city to deal with immigrants, said immigrants who arrived in the city didn’t want to leave. Chicago already has a large Spanish-speaking population, and nearly 30% of the city’s residents are Hispanic.
“They want to live here,” Dr. Figueroa said. “They want to work here. They love Chicago.”
Outside the temporary shelter, Anthony Piña, 33, said he arrived in Chicago the day before and hopes to find more job opportunities than in his hometown of Venezuela, ideally in construction. rice field. “It was very hard,” he said of living there, adding that he worked for months and earned only the equivalent of $50.
In many parts of Chicago, a strong response of volunteers, churches, and nonprofits is helping immigrant families find temporary apartments, clothing, and social services. Some volunteers have opened their homes for migrant families to shower and rest. At the police station, officers bring food prepared for immigrants. One sergeant was concerned that his family was not sleeping comfortably on the floor, so he brought them pillows.
In some areas, however, the Lightfoot administration’s push to open massive shelters for immigrant families is met with outright hostility.
In the South Shore neighborhood of South Side, hundreds of residents gathered in a school auditorium last week to hear about the city’s plan to repurpose the area’s former high school as a refuge for immigrants, mostly Venezuelans. .
City Hall official Nubia Wilman was loudly booed and taunted when she faced the crowd from the stage. I begged for two hours to set up a shelter in place.
They say their area is already understaffed and there aren’t enough police officers to deal with the crimes and other problems that already exist.
“When I heard that migrants would be put in shelters here, my first thought was, ‘Are we safe?'” said Patricia King, a resident.
Clifton Bradley, owner of a media production company, told officials he was angry that immigrants were allowed into the United States in the first place.
“What I mean is that sanctuary cities are wrong,” he said, drawing applause from the crowd.
Willman said in an interview that cities typically aren’t responsible for resettlement of asylum seekers and that Chicago is suffering from a lack of federal funding.
“We have never had to resettle people in this way. This is a new situation for us,” she said.
Critics of Mr. Lightfoot, who lost re-election in February’s first term, said he had spent months preparing for an influx of immigrants and had failed to respond appropriately. .
“I think that’s a hallmark of her administration,” said City Councilman Byron Sigcho-Lopez, who represents the Westside Borough. “The lack of coordination, the lack of consultation with the community, and the complete dismissal of the facts.”
At the city’s Beach Field House on Lake Michigan, dozens of immigrants are temporarily staying in spaces used for storage and lifeguard breaks during the summer. Many immigrants had only a blanket between the hard floor of the gymnasium and their toddlers running around barefoot.
Outside the camp, a group of immigrants received slices of quiche that volunteer Mary Elking prepared at home and brought for the group.
José Moran, 42, who stayed at Fieldhouse, said he once spent six days sleeping in a police station after traveling from Venezuela to Chicago, which took months. He was still adjusting to his new surroundings, a cool late spring climate, one of the great lakes a few yards away, one of the amazing expanses of the Great Lakes.
“We are tired. We are exhausted,” he said. “We just want to stay.”
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