While controversial migrant base camps in the Chicago neighborhoods of Amundsen Park and Brighton Park won't move forward, a former Catholic school in Portage Park is set to become a migrant shelter, holding as many as 350 people.
According to a press release from 30th Ward Ald. Ruth Cruz, the City of Chicago and the Archdiocese of Chicago have agreed to open a migrant shelter at the former St. Bartholomew Catholic School, located at 4910 W. Addison St., which shuttered earlier this year.
The new location, part of an initiative from faith groups to help provide housing for migrants as the winter season draws near, was selected after negations between the City of Chicago and the Archdiocese of Chicago, the release said.
Residents of Portage Park, however, are set to protest the move during a rally Thursday afternoon, citing a lack of transparency from the city, and saying they weren't included in the process.
According to Cruz, the shelter plans to host migrants as early as mid-January of 2024. The Department of Family and Support Services staff are expected to manage the shelter's operations while accommodating between 300-350 people, the release said.
The new shelter would follow the consistent rules that Chicago area migrant shelters have in place, the release said. There will be 24/7 security, entry and re-entry screenings, frequent building checkups, and an 11 p.m. curfew.
The shelter will not permit visitors, walk-ins, drugs or alcohol, the release said.
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The news of the Portage Park site comes after the state stepped in and stopped a controversial migrant camp set for Brighton Park, as Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker's office claims city officials did not consult with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or the state before releasing an 800-page environmental report on the site, showing the land contained contaminants.
In response to the fallout over site, three Chicago aldermen have called for the resignation of seven officials from Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration.
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The letter – signed by aldermen Anthony Beale, Ray Lopez and Anthony Napolitano – said the city needs “individuals who are serious, deliberative and collaborative in addressing the ongoing migrant asylum-seeker crisis…” and that “What we have seen in Brighton Park, however, does not show members of your administration as being either serious, deliberative or collaborative in addressing this issue.”
The request was rejected by the mayor’s office, which issued a statement that said the aldermen’s correspondence was “not serious.”
The city's migrant crisis is expected to be front and center at Thursday's Chicago City Council meeting, as council is expected to discuss Chicago's Sanctuary City status.
Since August of 2022, Chicago has received more than 24,000 migrants, the city said.
