Johnson says city will no longer set up shelter space for newly arriving asylum seekers
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson declared a significant shift in strategy for dealing with the thousands of migrant that continue to flood the city during a recent meeting with council members. Johnson revealed that the city would no longer establish shelter spaces for asylum-seekers, citing the exorbitant costs associated with creating new facilities. The existing city-run shelter system has been operating at full capacity for several months, with over 34,000 immigrants arriving in the Windy City since August 2022.
Confirming the decision to halt the construction of new shelters and industrial tents for migrants since December 22, 2023, Johnson is now exploring alternative avenues. The mayor is turning to churches and individual contributors to provide beds for asylum-seekers, signaling a departure from the city’s previous approach.
A briefing report obtained by Politico outlined the current challenges, with 28 shelters operating in the city and holding 14,967 members as of January 16. Notably, more than 5,000 of these migrants are minors. Despite the high demand, zero beds became available as of January 16, and there is a pressing need for 216 single beds.