Overview

Beginning in early 2022, as migrants entered the United States across the Mexico border into Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott rejected them and dispersed the migrants across the country to sanctuary cities. Abbott's initiative sent migrants, mainly from Venezuela, Ecuador, and Colombia, to Chicago, New York City, and Washington, D.C., and gave very little notice to these cities as they scrambled to provide for these migrants. Chicago received the first bus of migrants on August 31, 2022 and the city jumped into action by setting up temporary housing and welcome centers. Since then, migrants have continued to arrive and struggled to find housing, adequate nutrition, schooling, and an overall sense of safety and security. Below are links that present the raw numbers of migrants arriving, services available for refugees, and a blog that provides up to date information for individual neighborhoods.

• Migrant Arrival Dashboard 

• Refugee and Newcomer Services

• Chicago Neighborhood News Outlets

The Status in Chicago

As a sanctuary city, city officials can avoid enforcing federal immigration laws and cannot inquire about citizenship, thus making Chicago an attractive distinction for asylum seekers. 

As of October 2023, Chicago has created more than two dozen temporary shelters throughout the city in order to house migrants. However, there are still thousands sleeping in police stations on the floor or outside and hundreds at ORD. On October 23, 2023, Mayor Brandon Johnson signed a $40m contract extension through October 2024, Favorite Healthcare Staffing, a vendor that staffs migrant shelters. 

The city estimates that costs associated with migrants since August 2022 will reach above $360 million by the end of the year, yet Johnson's 2024 budget for migrants only includes $150 million in funding.

Chicago points to resettlement as a long-term solution for the migrant crisis. Government assistance programs cover up to 6 months of housing costs for those staying in city-run shelters. However, the city has only resettled about 5,500 migrants since the end of 2022, while more than 3x that amount have arrived in that time. 

Why Migrants are Fleeing 

The migrants who arrived in Chicago from South America are "fleeing harm and trudging through jungles," said Minal Giri, chair of the Immigrant Child Health Initiative at the Illinois Chapter at the American Academy of Pediatrics. These migrants are forced to travel across the Darien Gap, a very dangerous jungle. She warns that these experiences will have long-lasting implications on the physical and mental health of both adults and children, and worries for the children the most. 

The majority of migrants are coming from Venezuela. These migrants are distinct from other refugees due to their lack of resources and minimal familial ties in the United States. Experts have pointed to plunging oil prices in Venezuela and President Nicolas Maduro's leadership as main reasons for the migration of over 7.3 million people. Maduro became president in 2013 and the economy in Venezuela sharply declined afterwards. As a result, citizens became heavily dependent on government welfare assistance. Recently, funding for Maduro's social programs have been dramatically cut due to sanctions by the US. In October 2023, the US agreed to loosen some of the sanctions which will ideally lead to more stability and economic growth in Venezuela.