Migrants forced to seek shelter at Chicago police precincts as city …

Hundreds of illegal immigrants[1] bused and flown to Chicago[2] have been living in the city's police stations, sleeping in lobbies and waiting, with children, for days, creating unsafe conditions and outpacing the city's ability to find adequate housing[3] for them. The situation has raised health and humanitarian concerns not only among police but also among community organizers. HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEBUT LONG-AWAITED BILL TO END BORDER CRISIS[4]

The Fraternal Order of Police filed a grievance over the state of affairs and argued that police resources shouldn't be used to shelter illegal immigrants. "This city said, 'We're a welcoming city, we'll take you,' but has no plans to do that. This is not a knock on them, but these people are now living in the lobbies of police stations, which is ridiculous," Chicago FOP President John Catanzara Jr. told[5] the Chicago Tribune.

The newspaper reported Thursday that staffers saw over 12 people sitting and waiting on a ledge along a window in the lobby of the CPD's South Loop 1st District station, visible to all from the street. Meanwhile, at Chicago's 16th District police station, it has taken days for Jessica Chirino's family to hear about shelter openings. Chirino and her family, who came from Venezuela, walked for months and took buses to reach the United States.

"We've been through so much to get here, so much, for this," she told the Tribune reporter in Spanish. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) began sending busloads of illegal immigrants to Chicago in September to protest the crisis at the border. Outgoing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot[6] had criticized the Republican governor over his handling of illegal immigration and said the city would help the immigrants.

Since then, more than 6,000 illegal immigrants have shown up in Chicago. Some have found shelter in the Salvation Army, area churches, and even the homes of some residents, while others have been forced to sleep in buses and homeless shelters. There have also been reports of some being taken to motels in the suburbs.

Last year, Lightfoot asked the state for £54 million to help fund emergency services for illegal immigrants seeking asylum. The state approved just £20 million. "We need the city to get its act together," Lusiette Kraal, the coordinator for the faith-based group Nuevos Vecinos, said. "We're overwhelmed."

Another growing concern is the health[7] of the immigrants who end up in Chicago. One man housed at the Logan Square 14th District station tested positive for chickenpox, was taken to the hospital, released the same day, and returned to the station. When his symptoms worsened the next day, he was once again taken to the hospital and once again returned to the station, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Chirino, who left her homeland due to the threat of starvation and crime, had also been feeling under the weather. She had a sore throat and fever but was forced to sleep on the hard-tile floor. Her 5-year-old, Charlotte, who had been wearing the same red pajamas for the past week, told her mother, "I'm hungry."

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The conditions in Chicago have only worsened, though some hope may be on the horizon.

The city has scheduled a joint budget and immigrants and refugee rights hearing for Friday to take a hard look at the operating costs associated with the wave of people ready to call Chicago home.

References

  1. ^ immigrants (www.washingtonexaminer.com)
  2. ^ Chicago (www.washingtonexaminer.com)
  3. ^ adequate housing (www.washingtonexaminer.com)
  4. ^ HOUSE REPUBLICANS DEBUT LONG-AWAITED BILL TO END BORDER CRISIS (www.washingtonexaminer.com)
  5. ^ told (www.chicagotribune.com)
  6. ^ Outgoing Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (www.washingtonexaminer.com)
  7. ^ health (www.washingtonexaminer.com)
  8. ^ CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER (www.washingtonexaminer.com)