As more buses of migrants sent from Texas are expected to arrive in Chicago this week, some Near West side residents and leaders expressed concern at packed community meeting Wednesday as nearly 200 migrants are expected to move into a hostel in Chicago's Greektown neighborhood next week.
“I’m a Christian," said West Loop resident LaRuby Sangster. "I believe in helping everyone. I want to help the migrants but I also want to help the people walking over here. It would be one thing to bring people in and you have the services and support but you don’t have it. You don’t have it for the people here!”
As many as 196 migrants will begin moving into the closed Parthenon Guest House, located at 310 S. Halsted St., next Friday, a report from the Chicago Sun-Times said. It's expected to house single adults without children, but the Sun-Times reports officials said that plan is “still under consideration."
Each room will house multiple migrants, with some rooms holding four to six people, the Sun-Times said.
According to officials, there will not be background checks performed by the city on the new residents, though additional security measures will be taken, 34th Ward Ald. Bill Conway said Wednesday.
“I have been assured by the mayor’s office that there will be four security guards on a 24-7 basis,” Conway told NBC Chicago.
Conway said he received word from Mayor Brandon Johnson's office just days ago, and organized Wednesday's meeting as an effort to answer residents' frustrations and concerns.
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“I've not been shy about my frustration with the lack of detail and short notice I was given on this plan by the Mayor’s office,”Ald. Bill Conway said in a statement.
From October 2022 to February 2023, the same hostel had previously served as a temporary migrant shelter. At that time, the city said The Parthenon could only accommodate 136 people.
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As of Sept. 6, city officials said there were 6,828 migrants staying across 18 temporary shelters. 1,997 migrants were currently awaiting placement, and of those, 1,529 migrants were staying at police stations, and 462 migrants were staying at O'Hare International Airport, the city said.
More than 13,500 migrants have arrived in Chicago from Texas since August of 2022, officials said. According to Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, three more buses are expected to arrive Thursday.
“If the state can come up with $52 million to home and house them, they can come up with $52 million to home or house our homeless population," Arzette James-Wallace said Wednesday.
