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.
Immigration
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.
A new Biden administration policy announced Tuesday will give roughly half a million immigrants who are married to American citizens but lack legal status in the United States a pathway to citizenship for them and their children.
“We are still living up to our values,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said. “We are providing care in a way that nowhere else in the country you’re seeing.”
More Than Half of Migrants Forced to Leave City Shelters Immediately Returned, Chicago Officials Say
The acknowledgement that approximately 500 people returned to city shelters after living there for at least two months raises new questions about plans by officials to start evicting families with school-age children from city shelters on Monday.
The measure takes effect immediately because the new policy is triggered when arrests for illegal entry reach 2,500. About 4,000 people already are entering the U.S. each day.
The end of the outbreak comes after nearly six weeks, or two incubation periods, without any new measles cases, according to a news release. The last measles case was reported April 20.
The programs rolled out during the pandemic, providing benefits for immigrant adults and seniors. They offered health coverage for low-income individuals who did not qualify for Medicaid because of their immigration status.
Shuttered Woodlawn School Will No Longer Be Used as Migrant Shelter, Mayor Brandon Johnson Announces
There are no plans to use the former school as a shelter in the future, according to a spokesperson for Mayor Brandon Johnson.
The Biden administration will seek to partially end the 27-year-old court supervision of how the federal government cares for child migrants traveling alone, shortly after producing its own list of safeguards against mistreatment, an attorney involved in the case says.
The Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment Coalition has gathered over 300 members to take part in this year’s Asian American Action Day events to advocate for language and immigration services and education equity, among other causes.
Immigrant rights advocates on Friday continued to push for one of their top budget priorities: full funding for state-run health care programs that benefit noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status.
Officials expect it will cost an additional $321 million through the end of 2024 to care for the migrants. The Chicago City Council and the Cook County Board of Commissioners have approved plans to contribute $70 million each. State lawmakers are expected to set aside $182 million as part of the state’s budget for the next fiscal year.
The deadline for applications is Friday. And while there are more than 100 suburbs in the county that are eligible, only two have applied, including Oak Park and Ford Heights.
After the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, an initial 80,000 Afghans were evacuated to the U.S. in 2021 following America’s botched withdrawal from the country. More than 2,300 Afghan evacuees have since resettled in Illinois, according the Illinois Department of Human Services.
