Chicago's South Side Rejects Plan for Housing Migrants in Neighborhood

Residents in the south side of Chicago are upset over the city's plans to house migrants in a former high school in the South Shore neighborhood and are taking legal action to block the building from being turned into a temporary shelter.

At least two residents have filed a lawsuit against the city and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) in an effort to block plans to open the old school as a "respite center" for at least 250 and up to 500 migrants who have been bused to Chicago from Texas.

Last week, the city announced that migrants would receive short-term, basic amenities at the former school while awaiting more permanent placement in a shelter. The announcement came amid reports that many of the migrants were experiencing inhumane conditions amid the "humanitarian crisis" that has pushed the city's shelter system to its limits.

But South Shore residents argue that the plans violate the terms of a 2019 lease agreement between CPS and the city, which had agreed to use the building as a training center for police and fire departments until 2028.

Newsweek reached out to Lightfoot via phone and CPS via email for comment.

Chicago is one of the handful of cities run by Democratic mayors targeted by Texas Governor Greg Abbott's office amid the record-breaking number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. Over the last year, Abbott has transported migrants north in an effort to highlight the situation at the border and ramp up pressure on the Biden administration to change its immigration policies.

In response, Chicago has set up at least 10 shelters to house migrants. City officials say that it has budgeted $125 million to handle the influx of migrants this year alone. Last week, it was announced that the federal government would give the city another $4.3 million to help with the migrant crisis.

This month, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot wrote a letter to Abbott criticizing him for sending migrants to the city, saying that while she was sympathetic to the challenges border towns were facing, the busing of migrants was no solution.

"Your lack of consideration or coordination in an attempt to cause chaos and score political points has resulted in a critical tipping point in our ability to receive individuals and families in a safe, orderly, and dignified way," Lightfoot wrote.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has also accused Abbott of targeting Black mayors by sending migrants to Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Denver and Washington, D.C.—all run by Black mayors. Lightfoot will leave office next week, but her successor, Brandon Johnson, is also Black.

Many of South Shore's Black residents also feel as though the city has been quick to act on securing more residents despite a history of ignoring their needs, Block Club Chicago reported.

"This is not about the migrants," Natasha Dunn, a South Shore resident who is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said during a Thursday press conference, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "This is about the entire city of Chicago ignoring our community because this school belongs to us."

Attorney Frank Avila said the frustration surrounding the plans to house migrants at the school are largely fueled by the fact that South Shore is "an underfunded community with closed schools, with closed programs, with closed social services, housing issues and the like.

"There are social services that are needed for low-income residents, whatever their race," he said during the press conference. "None of these resources have been made available."

Dunn also said that neighbors weren't included in conversations about housing migrants at the former school. Alder Michelle Harris, a close ally of Lightfoot, also said she was caught off guard by the plans, telling residents during last week's public meeting that she found out about the temporary shelter while on vacation.