Chicago Migrant Homeless Encampment Cleared; City Officials Claim Not Connected to DNC

Homeless migrants claim mistreatment as Chicago forces them to move in preparation for Democratic National Convention

Photo byScreen Capture/Youtube Video [Creator]

CHICAGO — Jordan Parra, who journeyed across seven countries, did not anticipate being removed from his tent in a Chicago park. The 27-year-old from Caracas, Venezuela, and his partner had been residing on Chicago Housing Authority (CHA) land near the Near West District (12th) police station for months. They chose to sleep outside after feeling unsafe in three different city-run shelters. In late June, police officers arrived with a bulldozer and cleared the area.

“What we’ve found here is worse than in Venezuela, because we came here with hope for a better life and had to deal with the disappointment of not even getting close,” Parra stated. He shared a video, showing a hostile interaction with Chicago police as he and others were forcibly removed from the site. According to Parra, the police did not allow them to retrieve their personal belongings.

The CHA lot had become a crowded encampment for migrants who opted not to stay in shelters due to safety concerns. The encampment clearing is part of the city’s broader initiative to remove tent cities across Chicago, according to Brian Berg, spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services.

The encampment clearings have primarily affected migrants, as most asylum-seekers are housed in 17 city and state-run shelters. The removal of tents on the Near West Side displaced migrants without prior explanation from police officers.

A significant homeless encampment by the Dan Ryan Expressway was cleared on July 17. Maura McCauley, managing deputy commissioner of the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, initially said that the action was expedited for the Democratic National Convention in late August. She mentioned security concerns that could arise from the convention. However, city officials, including Mayor Johnson, later denied that the encampment clearings were related to the DNC, scheduled for August 19-22.

Immigration has become a contentious topic for Democrats ahead of the convention, where the party will rally around Vice President Kamala Harris after President Joe Biden stepped down as the nominee in late July. Some city officials estimate that tens of thousands of migrants could be transported to Chicago during the convention, serving as a counterpoint to liberal policies that led to increased border crossings in the fall and winter.

Despite a significant decrease in border crossings following an executive order by Biden in early June, immigration experts predict that more people will continue migrating to the United States in the coming years. City officials have denied any further efforts to clear the city of migrants before the DNC.

Migrants at shelters near the United Center, where convention events will take place, reported receiving exit dates before the convention’s start, though city officials stated there are no plans to close shelters. Additionally, a fence was erected in Pritzker Park, where shelter residents often gathered, though the city denied involvement.

According to CHA spokesperson Matthew Aguilar, about 16 unhoused individuals were cleared from the vacant land near the police station. Seven people voluntarily moved to shelters, while others relocated to a smaller CHA lot nearby. Outreach teams had been conducting weekly visits to the site since April 1 and provided more than seven days’ notice before the closure, adhering to “encampment cleaning protocol.”

Oscar Martinez, director of impact for Street Samaritans, emphasized the need for more bilingual resources among homeless outreach groups to assist the growing migrant population in Chicago. He noted that many migrants, lacking jobs and unable to afford rent, are at higher risk of homelessness.

On a recent morning, Parra and his partner cared for their cat, Tussi, at a nearby park where they now stay. Parra, who fled political violence in Venezuela, has had to move four times since arriving in Chicago. Luis Linares, another Venezuelan migrant, also resides in the cluster of tents on CHA property. Linares sends money back to his family in Venezuela whenever he can find work and prefers to sleep in a tent rather than a shelter, citing safety concerns.

Both men, along with others at the encampment, use a nearby McDonald’s bathroom for basic hygiene and spend their evenings sitting in circles on folding chairs. They express a desire to leave the encampment once they have saved enough money. “We want to leave here,” Linares said. “We’re trying to make enough money to save up.”