CHICAGO — Residents in the city’s Pilsen neighborhood gathered Monday to share their frustration over the busloads of migrants continuing to arrive in Chicago.
The move, starting Tuesday, is expected to bring 400 migrants to a warehouse near the corner of 22nd Place and Halsted — and that number will eventually grow to 1,000.
The Pilsen facility is being called the first sanctioned shelter in the ward by Ald. Byron Lopez.
It’s opening Tuesday after city officials have said they are running out of space to house migrants. Thirty-six new buses have come into the city, with seven arriving just Monday.
More than 2,900 migrants are living at police stations and airports.
The influx of people coming from Texas has prompted Gov. JB Pritzker to seek help from the Biden administration.
In a letter to the administration, the governor said,“The federal government’s lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois… There is much more that can and must be done on a federal level to address a national humanitarian crisis that is currently being shouldered by state and local governments without support.”
Among his list of requests is more money, housing, food and social services.
The Biden administration did respond to the governor’s letter through the Chicago Sun-Times, saying in part that House Republicans have blocked immigration reform. But the White House said they have given Chicago and Illinois $46 million in grants to support migrants.
It comes as the city officials said they’re running out of space at police stations.
As of now, there are 23 shelters housing close to 10,000 migrants in Chicago.