Mayor Johnson: Stop the evictions of migrant families.
Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city goes back to the administration of our greatest mayor, Harold Washington.
Every administration that followed Harold Washington built on his ground-breaking declaration.
In 2012 the Chicago City Council passed the Welcoming City Ordinance.
Mayor Brandon Johnson, the current mayor, is demanding that recently arrived refugees to the city be evicted from city shelters after 60 days regardless of ability to find alternative housing, finances or employment.
Disclosure: I voted for Brandon Johnson as mayor when he ran against Paul Vallas.
It is an understatement to say I am disappointed (although I do not regret that vote).
To be fair, Mayor Johnson did not wish for or create this moment.
More than 35,000 migrants, who are all in the country legally after requesting asylum, have arrived in Chicago since August 2022, most on buses paid for by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a MAGA Republican, as part of an effort to damage President Joe Biden’s chances for reelection and divide Democratic voters.
Johnson called Abbott’s actions “so irresponsible,” “evil” and “raggedy.”
However, the situation is here and the evictions are simply inhumane and indefensible.
Mayor Brandon Johnson's deadline to begin shelter evictions looms.
This plan, first announced in November, has been pushed back repeatedly because of Chicago's cold winter weather.
It is just days now when the the city will begin evictions for migrants who've been in city shelters 60 days.
Two more buses arrived at the “landing zone” on Saturday.
A complicating factor is an outbreak of measles among those in some of the migrant shelters.
I believe the measles outbreak in shelters has been made worse by Mayor Johnson’s firing of Dr. Allison Arwady who headed the Chicago Department of Health during the Covid pandemic and successfully led the city’s Covid response.
Yesterday a letter to Mayor Johnson was released calling for a halt to the evictions signed by seventeen alderman (some who are considered Johnson allies), City Clerk Anna Valencia and a host of community organizations.
We, the undersigned, call on our Mayor and his administration to prevent this harm, remain true to Chicago’s values, and replace the 60 Day Eviction Policy with one that addresses shelter stays on a case-by-case basis, in a manner that provides the support and dignity any of us would want in a similar situation.
If the 60 Day Eviction Policy is enforced, the majority of new arrivals—who cannot yet secure work or housing—will face involuntary shelter exits, interruption to community integration, and potentially unsheltered homelessness.
What’s needed now is a total moratorium on all migrant evictions.