CHICAGO — For more than a year and a half, Chicago has seen a massive influx of migrants coming into the city from the United States’ southern border. But in recent weeks, the number of new arrivals has dwindled.
According to city records, as of Tuesday, there were 12,189 residents living in 23 shelters around Chicago, with eight people awaiting placement.
A total of more than 36,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago from 822 busses since Aug. 2022, but only three busses have arrived from Texas since Feb. 17.
As the numbers have dropped, the city has taken steps to consolidate, and started closing shelters.
“I think that’s a step in the right direction,” said Karina Ayala-Bermejo, CEO of the Instituto del Progresso Latino. “They were never meant to be permanent.”
The Harold Washington Library in The Loop, Casa Esperanza in lawndale, New Life Community Church in Lakeview, the Near South Shelter on South Michigan Avenue, and North Park have all been decompressed, as of Tuesday.
The city also noted the North Park shelter location will now be transitioned into a polling place for the upcoming election season, but there’s no additional word on what will happen to the other locations.
“The fact we are now closing shelters down decompressing the shelters and really focused on the primary goal,” Ayala-Bermejo said. “Which is resettlement into the community, integration [is great].”
According to the State of Illinois, more than 8,900 individuals — representing more than 3,300 households — have moved out of shelters using the emergency rental assistance program, with 1,784 work permits issued of 3,428 applications submitted.