Chicago’s City Council has voted against a measure that would have asked voters next year if they believe the city should maintain its statutory status as a “Sanctuary City,” or as a “Welcoming City,” amid an ongoing migrant crisis, NBC Chicago’s Charlie Wojciechowski reports.
No migrants were being housed at Chicago police stations on Saturday for the first time since the spring, according to an update from city officials.
All 22 Chicago Police Districts were clear of migrants and will no longer serve as emergency shelters, a spokesperson with the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications said in a daily update.
As of mid-October, more than 3,000 migrants had been staying at police stations as the city worked to find more availability in shelters and open additional housing sites ahead of the colder months. As of 8 a.m. on Saturday, 15,028 asylum-seekers were staying in 27 shelters across the city.
As of Sunday morning, a total of 29 people were awaiting placement at O'Hare International Airport, which along with Midway, had been used as temporary shelters as the number of arriving migrants rose in recent months.
Chicago has seen 26,000 asylum-seekers arrive in the city since Aug. 2022, when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began sending busloads of migrants from the southern border to Chicago and other major northern cities. The influx of asylum-seekers has stretched resources thin across the city and led to controversy about handling of the crisis and disagreements about proposed shelter sites.
In mid-November, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson released a lengthy list of changes in navigating the ongoing migrant crisis ahead of colder winter weather. Among the adjustments in the new phase are increased personnel at so-called landing zones, more regulations for "rogue busses" and a "limited stay policy" at city shelters.
The announcement took place one day after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced that Illinois will funnel an additional $160 million to help migrants arriving in Chicago resettle, including $65 million to help the city launch “winterized” temporary shelter to avoid people sleeping outdoors in cold weather.
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