Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot on Thursday promised to help the city’s new “neighbors” gain stability by providing resources to the dozens of Venezuelans who arrived Wednesday after being sent on buses chartered by Texas officials.
“While there’s no way that we can fully make up for the cruelty that our new neighbors have experienced, what we have and will continue to do is welcome them with open arms,” Lightfoot said during a news conference. “I refuse to turn our backs on them at a time when they need support the most.”
The 79 immigrants, which include individuals seeking asylum, were greeted in Chicago with food, fresh clothes and a place to take a hot shower, Lightfoot said. Still, the immigration status and future of many of the individuals seemed unclear. Many plan to reunite with friends or family in other parts of the country, while some will remain in shelters in Chicago, city officials said.
The 79 people who arrived included seven infants, five other children and eight “youths,” according to information provided by City Hall on a Thursday afternoon call with those assisting the efforts.
There will likely be more buses of immigrants arriving in Chicago from Texas, officials said on the call. In addition to the 79 who arrived by bus at Union Station, 16 immigrants — four families — flew into O’Hare and received assistance from a nonprofit group.
City agencies and community organizations spent Thursday getting more information from the immigrants to see what services they needed.
Brandi Knazze, commissioner of the city’s Department of Family and Support Services, said they helped individuals connect with relatives in Chicago or in other parts of the country. Those who want to stay in Chicago will continue to stay at a shelter, she said.
“For folks that decide that Chicago is going to become their home, we’ll work with them to decide what does that look like for finding employment,” she said. “And in terms of housing, we’ll work with them to see about their jobs and resources to get them connected.”
At a shelter in Humboldt Park on Thursday afternoon, rows of tables were set up in a hallway to accommodate more than a dozen men who had arrived from Venezuela. Some ate food while others played games together.
The group bused to Chicago is part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to send people arriving at the southern border into Democrat-led cities. Under Abbott, a Republican, Texas has spent $12 million to send migrants from Texas to East Coast cities, according to the Texas Tribune.
In July, the Texas Tribune and ProPublica reported the Justice Department was investigating Abbott’s border initiatives for possible civil rights violations.
Lightfoot described Abbott’s actions as racist, xenophobic and unpatriotic during a news conference Thursday at the Salvation Army, which is providing shelter for some of the immigrants. She later added that Abbott is attempting to manufacture a crisis by sending immigrants by buses to other cities.
“It is my prayer, literally, that this man finds some humanity and doesn’t do it, but surely he’ll continue to do what he seems determined to do,” Lightfoot said. “We’re ready. We are the village. We are going to make sure that whoever comes to Chicago, that we are going to take care of them, that they are going to find shelter and that they will be welcomed and we will do whatever it takes to make sure that their rights are respected.”
U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, D-Ill., said Texas officials promised the immigrants — all from Venezuela — they would have access to lawyers, housing and other forms of assistance to lure them onto the bus. When they arrived Wednesday, they told officials they had not eaten all day, he said.
“We need to ask the question of whether Gov. Abbott may be involved in trafficking of migrants for political gain,” García said.
He said he will be asking President Joe Biden’s administration to extend the designation of temporary protected status to allow the newly arrived Venezuelans to remain lawfully in the U.S. In July, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security extended the designation — which allows an immigrant to live and work lawfully for a temporary period of time — for 18 months. However, Venezuelans are eligible for the status only if they were in the United States as of March 8, 2021.
Temporary protected status is typically granted to people from a certain country because of an ongoing conflict, an environmental disaster or other conditions, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“This will be similar to what we did for Syrian and Ukrainian refugees,” he said. “There’s also a long backlog of court dates for asylum seekers, so that is another barrier that they would be facing.”
The National Immigrant Justice Center spent Thursday trying to help the individuals figure out their immigration status and how they can seek legal help, said Alejandra Oliva, the community engagement manger.
Many had paperwork indicating when they had to check in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Oliva said they were advising people to check in with the local ICE office as soon as they arrive at their final destination.
Some of the people in the group had just arrived in the United States this week, she said.
.”
“While there’s no way that we can fully make up for the cruelty that our new neighbors have experienced, what we have and will continue to do is welcome them with open arms,” Lightfoot said during a news conference. “I refuse to turn our backs on them at a time when they need support the most.”
The 79 immigrants, which include individuals seeking asylum, were greeted in Chicago with food, fresh clothes and a place to take a hot shower, Lightfoot said. Still, the immigration status and future of many of the individuals seemed unclear. Many plan to reunite with friends or family in other parts of the country, while some will remain in shelters in Chicago, city officials said.
The 79 people who arrived included seven infants, five other children and eight “youths,” according to information provided by City Hall on a Thursday afternoon call with those assisting the efforts.
There will likely be more buses of immigrants arriving in Chicago from Texas, officials said on the call. In addition to the 79 who arrived by bus at Union Station, 16 immigrants — four families — flew into O’Hare and received assistance from a nonprofit group.
City agencies and community organizations spent Thursday getting more information from the immigrants to see what services they needed.
Brandi Knazze, commissioner of the city’s Department of Family and Support Services, said they helped individuals connect with relatives in Chicago or in other parts of the country. Those who want to stay in Chicago will continue to stay at a shelter, she said.
“For folks that decide that Chicago is going to become their home, we’ll work with them to decide what does that look like for finding employment,” she said. “And in terms of housing, we’ll work with them to see about their jobs and resources to get them connected.”
At a shelter in Humboldt Park on Thursday afternoon, rows of tables were set up in a hallway to accommodate more than a dozen men who had arrived from Venezuela. Some ate food while others played games together.
The group bused to Chicago is part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to send people arriving at the southern border into Democrat-led cities. Under Abbott, a Republican, Texas has spent $12 million to send migrants from Texas to East Coast cities, according to the Texas Tribune.
In July, the Texas Tribune and ProPublica reported the Justice Department was investigating Abbott’s border initiatives for possible civil rights violations.
Lightfoot described Abbott’s actions as racist, xenophobic and unpatriotic during a news conference Thursday at the Salvation Army, which is providing shelter for some of the immigrants. She later added that Abbott is attempting to manufacture a crisis by sending immigrants by buses to other cities.
“It is my prayer, literally, that this man finds some humanity and doesn’t do it, but surely he’ll continue to do what he seems determined to do,” Lightfoot said. “We’re ready. We are the village. We are going to make sure that whoever comes to Chicago, that we are going to take care of them, that they are going to find shelter and that they will be welcomed and we will do whatever it takes to make sure that their rights are respected.”
U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, D-Ill., said Texas officials promised the immigrants — all from Venezuela — they would have access to lawyers, housing and other forms of assistance to lure them onto the bus. When they arrived Wednesday, they told officials they had not eaten all day, he said.
“We need to ask the question of whether Gov. Abbott may be involved in trafficking of migrants for political gain,” García said.
He said he will be asking President Joe Biden’s administration to extend the designation of temporary protected status to allow the newly arrived Venezuelans to remain lawfully in the U.S. In July, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security extended the designation — which allows an immigrant to live and work lawfully for a temporary period of time — for 18 months. However, Venezuelans are eligible for the status only if they were in the United States as of March 8, 2021.
Temporary protected status is typically granted to people from a certain country because of an ongoing conflict, an environmental disaster or other conditions, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“This will be similar to what we did for Syrian and Ukrainian refugees,” he said. “There’s also a long backlog of court dates for asylum seekers, so that is another barrier that they would be facing.”
The National Immigrant Justice Center spent Thursday trying to help the individuals figure out their immigration status and how they can seek legal help, said Alejandra Oliva, the community engagement manger.
Many had paperwork indicating when they had to check in with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Oliva said they were advising people to check in with the local ICE office as soon as they arrive at their final destination.
Some of the people in the group had just arrived in the United States this week, she said.
.”
Chicago welcomes immigrants bused out of Texas with open arms
Nearly 80 people seeking asylum at the U.S. southern border were sent to Chicago by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as part of his plan to move them to Democrat-led cities; Blasting Abbott’s actions as racist, xenophobic, Lightfoot said, “We’re ready. We are the village.”
chicago.suntimes.com