Politics
Migrants Who Came to Chicago 2 Years Ago Prepare to Help Other New Arrivals Should a DNC-Induced Increase Occur
With the Democratic National Convention now just days away, it remains to be seen if the city will experience a sudden influx of new migrant arrivals.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has made threats to ramp up his efforts to send asylum-seekers to Chicago while the city is in the national spotlight. Local organizations and officials say they’re preparing for that possibility as the city approaches two years since the arrival of the first bus in Chicago.
It’s been 18 months since Edward Sanchez and his family made the city their new home.
Sanchez and his wife, Damaris Orozco, have obtained work permits and are now settled in Little Village, living with two of their sons, a daughter-in-law and a niece.
“I feel privileged because nothing compares to being able to rest in your own private space,” Sanchez said.
The father of three says the family left Venezuela in search of better financial opportunities. They spent eight years in Panama before making their way to the U.S.
“We didn’t plan to come here and stay in a shelter,” Sanchez said. “Our mindset was to come and work and thrive in this country.”
For months, the family stayed in separate shelters in Chicago until they connected with the faith-based organization New Life Centers.
The group is aiding new arrivals by providing assistance in accessing resources, housing and food. Diana Franco, coordinator of the organization’s food pantry, says more than 40% of the pantry’s clients are migrants.
“Some of them are regulars and thank God they have found an apartment where they can take the food and we continue to see new faces who are still in need,” said Franco.
While migrants who have been in the city for years become settled, city leaders say they are prepared for an increase in new arrivals should that happen during the DNC.
“We have a pretty good number of beds available right now and it was intentional to keep the system at a certain size in case we needed them, said Deputy Mayor Beatriz Ponce de León. “We are always working with the state and county to look at what our capacity is.”
Officials say about 5,600 people are currently staying in the city’s 17 shelter locations.
“We have been able to close some of shelters now as the number of shelter residents have gone up and down,” said Ponce de León. “I think that we have collectively created a strategy for a longer term plan.”
While there hasn’t been a surge in new arrivals yet, Edward Sanchez says the team he works with at New Life is prepared to welcome them.
“We’re doing what we didn’t receive when we came here,” Sanchez said. “We welcome them and give them all the necessary tips to open a bank account, to use the metro, to really make them feel at home.”
More than 46,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Chicago since August 2022. At New Life Center, some of the people helped have become employees.
“We’ve hired people who have been in shelters, that have gone through the process, that have gotten their work permit and now they work in our warehouse, at the landing zone and shelters,” said Andre Gordillo, director of New Life Centers’ Vecinos program.
Damaris Orozco says her family has been able to improve their lives more quickly than in Venezuela.
“It’s important to come to this country with a mentality to work and also contribute to the country,” Orozco said. “Because as a Venezuelan we don’t come empty we have allot to give”
Orozco now works at the church at New Life and Sanchez as a community support member with the organization.
“It’s difficult to understand, but knowing we walked through the same footsteps, watching people lay in cardboard and know I was also in that situation…,” Sanchez said. “But now I can help them and motivate them.”
