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Tenfold surge in migrants arriving in Chicago fuels crisis, aldermen told, as families sleep in police stations: ‘This is unacceptable’

By Nell Salzman

Chicago Tribune

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Apr 28, 2023 at 6:48 pm

For nearly three hours Friday, Chicago aldermen met in an impassioned joint hearing on budget and immigration and refugee rights to discuss the influx of migrants arriving in Chicago daily, overwhelming nonprofits and city social services.

There has been a tenfold increase over the past 10 days in daily arrivals of migrants, said Brandie Knazze, commissioner of the Department of Family and Support Services. Migrants — often families with children — are now sheltering in police station lobbies across the city. Knazze said the city used to receive 10 people per day; that’s now risen to as many as 100.

Advocates and city officials say the potential for crisis is growing, with migrants arriving with injuries, health needs and underlying conditions after surviving in substandard conditions for weeks or months on their journeys to the United States.

“How many kids (do) we have currently in our police districts waiting for assistance?” shouted Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, who migrated to the U.S. himself as a teenager. “I personally know of several in our districts that have been already waiting for two or three days. ... This is unacceptable, and I do expect from our city and our colleagues to make sure that we work collaboratively to make sure that we have solutions that go beyond the narrative.”