The city of Chicago has initiated the process of relocating asylum-seeking migrants housed in police stations and O'Hare International Airport to temporary shelters ahead of quickly approaching winter weather, officials said Wednesday.
In the latest update from the city's Office of Emergency Management and Communications, officials announced that five police district stations have been fully decompressed.
"In anticipation of the winter weather, the City of Chicago is in the process of transitioning all individuals and families seeking asylum from O’Hare Airport, Chicago Police Department districts and outdoors to temporary shelters. New arrivals have been placed in temporary shelters where additional beds have been added due to resettlement and outmigration. The districts that have been decompressed are based on the availability of beds. Decompression is on a site-by-site basis," a statement from Chicago's OEMC said.
As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, 1,727 migrants are awaiting placement at shelters, with 1,407 residing in police stations and another 320 migrants waiting at O'Hare Airport.
There are currently 26 active shelters across the city, with 12,373 residents currently in those shelters, according to officials.
Over 22,100 asylum-seeking migrants have arrived in Chicago since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began Operation Lone Star on Aug. 31, 2022, the OEMC said.
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