After multiple individuals were hospitalized due to illness, and one child died over the weekend, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is pushing back against criticisms of the city’s handling of the medical needs of migrants currently housed in temporary shelters.
A 5-year-old boy was hospitalized after falling ill at a shelter over the weekend in the Pilsen neighborhood, authorities said. He was transported to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
On Monday, Chicago fire officials confirmed that at least four other individuals, including three children, had been hospitalized after becoming ill at the facility.
When asked about the situation, Johnson said that the matter is being complicated by the actions of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, whose busing program has led to nearly 26,000 asylum seekers being transported to Chicago.
“They’re showing up sick,” he said. “The issue is not just how we respond in the city of Chicago. It’s the fact we have a governor, an elected official in the state of Texas, that is placing families on buses without shoes, cold, wet, tired, hungry, afraid, traumatized, and then they come to the city of Chicago, where we have homelessness, mental health clinics that have been shut down and closed. We have people who are seeking employment. The governor of Texas needs to take a look in the mirror, with the chaos he’s causing for the people of this country.”
A cause of death has not yet been determined in the child’s death, but Chicago Department of Public Health officials say that there have been cases of several illnesses, including chickenpox, at multiple shelters, including the location in the 2200 block of South Halsted.
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“In response, the CDPH has consulted with shelter managers and other facilities to provide infection control guidance to prevent spread,” the department said in a statement. “Shelter staff coordinate isolation, triage to medical evaluation, and vaccination events occurring in new arrival shelters.”
Johnson echoed similar themes in his press conference, saying that the city is doing what is necessary for the health of asylum seekers.
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“We’re gathering information at every single site throughout the city of Chicago. We provide on-site medical care,” he said.
Officials are continuing to investigate the child’s death at the Pilsen shelter, and a cause of death is being determined.
