The shelter at 27th Street and Pulaski Road, which opened in January at the height of the crisis that strained state and city resources, now houses 146 people, state officials said.
Immigration
The Welcome Corps, which launched last year, pairs groups of Americans with newly arrived refugees. So far, the resettlement program has connected 3,500 sponsors with 1,800 refugees, and many more want to help: 100,000 people have applied to become sponsors.
Shelters in Pilsen and in the West Loop will close Oct. 1, while a shelter in Hyde Park will close Oct. 24. All of the residents will be offered space in one of the 14 shelters the city will continue to operate, officials said.
Mayor Brandon Johnson burned a significant amount of political capital to convince the Chicago City Council in April to appropriate an additional $70 million, which the city did not need after a feared surge of migrants failed to materialize.
A study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research reveals that immigrants have consistently been incarcerated at lower rates than U.S.-born citizens. However, so-called “migrant crime” has become a major talking point this election cycle.
Shelters in Pilsen and in the West Loop will close Oct. 1 and a shelter in Hyde Park will close Oct. 24. All of the residents will be offered space in one of the 14 shelters the city will continue to operate, officials said.
From mass deportation to a pathway to citizenship, immigration has been a defining issue in this year’s presidential campaign.
The program allows undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens to apply for a green card and eventually citizenship without leaving the country, a process known as “parole in place.” The White House estimated about 500,000 people were eligible for the program.
Since officials’ dire warnings of a renewed surge, fewer than 1,600 migrants have made their way to Chicago, and the shelter population has remained at the lowest point since the crisis began, according to city data.
Donald Trump is Putting Mass Deportations at the Heart of His Campaign. Some Republicans are Worried
“Mass Deportation Now!” declared the signs at the Republican National Convention, giving a full embrace to Donald Trump’s pledge to expel millions of migrants in the largest deportation program in American history.
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.
The federal lawsuit was filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. According to the complaint, the five plaintiffs claim they were unfairly targeted by off-duty police officers who work as security guards at the Home Depot store at 47th Street and Western Avenue.
After Texas Gov. Abbott Vows to Keep Sending Buses of Migrants to Chicago, Officials Brace for Surge
City officials said Tuesday they are “hyper prepared” for a renewed surge of buses paid for by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to arrive in Chicago before the Democratic National Convention kicks off in less than four weeks.
The stories of five asylum-seekers who arrived in Chicago from Latin America are told in a new documentary series from WTTW. “Firsthand: Homeless – The Migrant Experience” profiles five people who left their home countries and traveled across continents to begin a new life.
The announcement is a welcome development for President Joe Biden, whose executive action on June 4 that shut off access to asylum for migrants who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally sought to address an ongoing crisis that has become a significant political challenge.
For some local advocates who work on immigrations issues, the action is a welcome one.
