Chicago to close 3 migrant shelters amid dwindling numbers

CHICAGO ( NewsNation ) — Amid dwindling numbers both in its new arrival shelter population and in the number of migrants being sent from the U.S. southern border, Chicago city officials have announced that three shelters will close over the next six weeks, including the city’s largest.

The closures are part of a joint migrant strategic operation between the city of Chicago, the state of Illinois, and Cook County. The plan includes the number of beds and funding needed to accommodate the anticipated arrivals of new arrivals for the remainder of 2024, city officials announced.

Since 2022, nearly 48,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago by bus or plane after being sent by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott , according to city data.

As of this week, the city’s shelter population sits at 5,431, according to Chicago’s migrant dashboard . This week, the city announced that three city shelters would close next month, including one in the city’s Pilsen neighborhood, which is the city’s largest.

The shelter was the site of a measles outbreak that led the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention to send a response team to Chicago to help address the health crisis that arose just as Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that he would impose limits on how long migrants could remain in city-run shelters.

Two other shelters in the city will close by October 24, the city said. In total, the city said that 1,200 migrants would be affected by the closures.

The city announced that all those still living in those shelters would be moved to another shelter and continue to receive the same level of services

The city had anticipated as many as 25,000 new arrivals being sent by Abbott over the summer, including during the Democratic National Convention based on Abbott’s comments. The Texas governor issued statements that he would continue to send buses to sanctuary cities, including Chicago until President Joe Biden addressed the crisis at the southern border.

However, no migrants arrived during the DNC, which was part of the process of the city re-evaluating its plan for the remainder of 2024. The city said that through its partnership with the state and Cook County, it has more than 5,000 unused beds and that it remains committed to fiscal responsibility.

The closures are taking place as Johnson announced a hiring freeze due to a projected $982 million budget shortfall in 2025. According to a WTTW report, the city spent $184.8 million on caring for new arrivals who came to Chicago between Jan. 1 and June 30. The report said that the city spent $677,310 per day to provide services to 5,500 migrants in 15 city-run shelters.

That compares to $1.4 million that was spent per day to accommodate 15,000 migrants who were in 27 city shelters in December.

A city spokesman did not immediately respond to a message from NewsNation seeking information about how much money would be saved with the closures of the three shelters.

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