America’s immigration issue is getting worse and is now hitting major cities. As Chicago is being filled, more room is needed. Recently, immigrants have been getting flown or shipped by buses into Chicago. Due to them coming in large amounts, Chicago hasn’t been able to find the immigrants’ housing fast enough.
As a result, families have been staying in police departments and lobbies, and because there are so many families, they haven’t been comfortable. Some families have been eating and sleeping on floors with their children. In Chicago, currently, there are seven shelters for housing immigrants. There are about 2,800 using these shelters as housing. The amount of people arriving daily has jumped from 10 to 75-125.
There are also currently about 45,000 immigrants at the southern border waiting to get into America. Awaiting this, some predict that the immigration problem will only get worse. Furthermore, the alderpersons of Chicago have been working to create and find more space, but their efforts aren’t quite enough.
What Have They Endured?
Several aldermen have told us that $20 Million has been spent and there is no more money. Immigrants have been left to eat expired food and live among those with infections. Due to this, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot has called out Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The Governor has recently been putting immigrants in the state of Texas on buses and sending them to other major cities. Hence Lori Lightfoot stated, “Nearly all the migrants have been in dire need of food, water, and clothing, and many needed extensive medical care. Some of the individuals you placed on buses were women in active labor, and some were victims of sexual assault. None of these urgent needs were addressed in Texas.”
In addition to food and space issues, there have also been health issues. Police have reported that bedbugs are a huge issue, as well as lice. A case of chicken pox has also been reported. Additionally, hospitals have refused to help.
John Catanzara, the president of the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police, even came out and spoke about the issue. “It’s such a delicate balance to try and explain to people this is a safety [and] health issue, a humanitarian issue,” Catanzara said. “This isn’t an anti-migrant stance one way or the other. We just are not equipped to do this.”
The Future of Immigrants
Due to the fact the immigrant situation is seen as a health crisis, the city of Chicago is still looking for assistance. They are currently looking for assistance from the federal government.
Although there is no money, the community has been trying to help. There have been people coming forward to volunteer their time to the shelters and immigrants. Some citizens of Chicago have also opened their homes to families and have offered to get and bring supplies to where they are currently being sheltered.
The city is looking for a coordinator to help organize the situation before it gets worse, which it is bound to. Overall, the lack of help from hospitals and hotels seems to be the biggest issue, including the lack of funding.
It is also important to remember that as Chicago is a major city, there are tourists coming along with immigrants. It would be smarter to move these immigrants to rural areas where there would be more space to build housing. This would be more convenient than moving them to heavily populated areas such as Chicago and New York.
In Conclusion
For the immigrants moving here, they must be focused on opportunities and safety. Putting them in the middle of a health crisis is doing the opposite. The people in authority need to come up with a plan and funding because immigration isn’t new, and it won’t be stopping anytime soon.
So, for the sake of the city, a plan is needed for both citizens and immigrants. There is not enough room for everybody. But in places like Minnesota, Wyoming, and Vermont, there is plenty of space to create housing and give these families a better chance at having opportunity and safety.
Written by Cynthia Thomas
Sources:
Chicago Sun-Times: Expired food, infections, infestations reported at Chicago police stations serving as makeshift shelters for immigrants
FOX32 Chicago: Chicago aldermen push for more funding amid reports of migrants sleeping inside police stations
Journal Now: Photos: Chicago, other cities say shelters full, budgets hit by immigration uptick
Washington Examiner: Migrants forced to seek shelter at Chicago police precincts as city struggles to find housing
Top and Featured Image courtesy of George Laoutaris‘ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image courtesy of Victoria Pickering‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
