3 migrants move out of shelters Sunday out of 34 that had been scheduled for eviction, city says
CHICAGO — Only three asylum seekers moved out of city-run shelters Sunday after dozens were scheduled to be evicted, as the City of Chicago looks to enforce its 60-day limit on migrant stays.
According to the city, 34 evictions were scheduled for Sunday, but only three actually happened. Those three will be able to reapply for shelter if they go back to the city’s migrant landing zone later Monday.
The city was supposed to begin evicting those who had reached their 60-day limit on shelter stays. But last week Friday, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced there would be exceptions for families with children under the age of 18, along with exemptions for migrants under quarantine due to the recent measles outbreak and those who are pregnant or ill.
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In a statement, Mayor Johnson said the city has limited resources and “can not meet the full scale of need across the new arrivals mission” and that his administration is “constantly evaluating (its) options.”
According to an update from the city Sunday afternoon, most of the migrants scheduled to exit received extensions due to exemptions, while the three evicted have the option of returning back to the landing zone in the South Loop to reapply for shelter.
Additionally, migrants with children are allowed to apply for 30-day extensions up to three times through June.
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Some city officials are unhappy with the evictions altogether.
Ald. Andrew Vasquez (40th Ward) told WGN-TV the evictions will have a negative impact and that the federal government should expedite work permits for migrants.
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“If you think of the history of the city, every generation has had migrants, whether it’s Irish — on St. Patrick’s Day — or Polish, or Chinese, or Mexican, and every generation, they become part of our nation’s fabric,” Vasquez said. “So doing the right thing would be allowing them to onboard and onramp to do that, so we can see our economies grow.”
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