As Chicago’s brutal winter looms, city and state officials are scrambling to find shelter for more than 2,000 migrants now living at airports, police stations and on the city’s streets, plus long-term housing for thousands more already crammed into overcrowded shelters.
But advocates question whether newly announced measures from state and city officials intended to help migrants settle more quickly into the city will work as planned or contribute to the worsening of a humanitarian crisis spurred by the busing of thousands of people to the city from Texas.
“So much is riding on Chicago winter, and we can’t afford for anyone in our beautiful state or city to freeze because we didn’t figure this out, to die because we didn’t figure this out,” said Karina Ayala-Bermejo, the CEO and president of the Instituto del Progreso Latino, which is involved in case management and other programs for migrants.