Amidst a brutal winter blast, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is putting the brakes on his administration's 60-day limit on migrant shelter stays, offering a reprieve for about 650 migrants slated for eviction as temperatures plummet, reported the Chicago Tribune. Facing frigid conditions that could see wind chills drop to a bone-chilling minus 20 degrees, the city is shifting gear to ensure that no new arrivals are kicked out into the cold, Johnson reassured citizens saying, "Our mission is to continue to live up to our values" and declared that everyone will be accommodated through at least January 22.
The mayor's decision comes as the Windy City experiences a harsh winter storm that could herald one of Mayor Johnson's biggest tests yet, with emergency measures like warming buses already being put to use for those waiting at the city’s "landing zone," the first stop for many asylum-seekers arriving in the city since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began busing migrants north last year to put pressure on sanctuary cities, as Chicago faced budgeting constraints and the city-run shelter system at capacity, the mayor confirmed the city will put a hold on opening new shelters, according to the WTTW News.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker also stepped in, issuing a plea to Gov. Abbott to cease the transport of migrants during the relentless Midwest winter as detailed by WTTW News. Abbott's office responded, advising Pritzker to urge President Biden to secure the border, thus deflecting responsibility for the ongoing crisis.
Chicago's shelters are currently housing over 14,500 migrants with some asylum-seekers being accommodated in heated CTA buses, a far cry from ideal, but a necessity, as per a chilling account by Yorbelis Suarez, a 22-year-old from Venezuela, who described the miserable conditions of sleeping in a bus as the winds howled, in a statement she gave to the Chicago Tribune. With the current shelters operating at their brim and federal and state assistance in flux, the local government faces the challenge of managing resources without forsaking humanity, as officials stick to a budget of $150 million set by the Chicago City Council for migrant care in 2024.
