Chicago residents speak out against city helping migrants over them
Kasey Chronis | FOX 32 CHICAGO
CHICAGO - Cities across the United States are bracing for an influx of migrants as Title 42 expired at 11:59 p.m. EST Thursday.
From coast to coast, many of those cities are finding that they don't have the resources to handle the demand — including Chicago, where the migrant crisis has resulted in both support and pushback.
When buses are sent to Chicago from Texas, their final destination is Union Station. City officials confirm to FOX 32 Chicago that only one migrant bus has been sent to the city from the Texas border since January – that bus arrived Tuesday – but they are anticipating more in the coming weeks.
This comes as officials say they have run out of room to house migrant families, with many still sleeping on the floors of local police stations.
Now, South Side residents are pushing back against the city's plan to house several hundred migrants at the vacant South Shore High School located at 76th Street and Constance Avenue.
"Why would any leader put our Black communities already riddled with crime, at further risk by placing unvetted, non-taxpayers steps away from our seniors, our children," said J. Darnell Jones, who lives in South Shore.
If the city's plan goes through, the school building would become a site where migrants could temporarily sleep, eat, and shower.
"They will be fully taken care of, yet here in our community, we aren’t taken care of," said Linda Cohran, who lives in South Shore.
Many residents aren't happy about the plan, and made that clear during a community meeting with city officials last week.
Residents gathered once again Thursday afternoon at the school to protest the move.
"Our specific frustration lies in the continuous and blatant disregard for the safety and overall quality of life for Black residents, as many of these migrants have been dumped in our neighborhoods without a plan in place to monitor and house them long-term," said Natasha Dunn, South Shore community advocate.
The group has even filed a lawsuit against the city in an attempt to halt the plan.
A spokeswoman with the city's legal team tells FOX 32 Chicago they cannot comment on pending litigation.
"We're looking at the numbers coming out of City Hall and the State of Illinois, upwards of $150 million dollars roughly for six months. We believe that $150 million would have been in some way eligible to come to our communities to help our crime problems, help with our economic problems, help with our housing issues. And as we're all aware, Black people are the largest number of homeless in Chicago. So if you're gonna help anyone, help the current Black homeless first," said South Shore resident Brian Mullins.
Black leaders hold massive protest in Chicago against accepting and housing Illegal non-citizens.
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) May 12, 2023
'This is not good for the black community.'pic.twitter.com/if28CZwbkp
"Politically, having over 500 people in our community would completely wipe out any interest we have. Are you aware that there are immigrant advocates at state houses all over this country who are advocating for non-citizen voting in local elections? What if that happened here? That would change the mindset of what we, as a black community need to thrive here In Chicago. That's a concern of ours.
This is much bigger than the mayor of Chicago or the Chicago Police Department. This is an effort to destroy our neighborhoods and silence our voices even further.
Why would any leader put our Black communities already riddled with crime, at further risk by placing unvetted, non-taxpayers steps away from our seniors, our children, and our homes we've worked so hard on our own to secure?"
-- South Shore resident J. Darnell Jones --
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