Chicago and New York City are moving forward with controversial plans to evict and limit shelter stays for recently-arrived migrants in an effort to reduce crowding and expedite resettlement, officials said.
“By specifically identifying single asylum seeking adults to be removed from shelters after 30 or 60 days without any true path to affordable housing … is not only immoral and antithetical to the intent of the Right to Shelter, but also short-sighted,” Murad Awawdeh, the CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition said in a statement. “A continuation of the 30 and 60-day limits will only exacerbate the city’s long-standing housing crisis and will unnecessarily force new residents onto the street.”
About 34 Chicago immigrants were expected to be evicted from three city-run shelters on Sunday, though only three reportedly left amid confusion about the process. Five others left on Monday, officials said. The asylum seekers were originally supposed to leave in January but their exit was postponed at least three times due to backlash from advocates amid severe winter weather.
Extensions for shelter stays will be determined on an individual basis, but families with children can receive three 30-day extensions through June 10 to accommodate for the school year, officials said.
Furthermore, to address rising measle cases in Chicago, all people entering the shelters will need to be vaccinated against Measles, Mumps, and Rubella, and the limited stay policy could be paused in case of outbreaks. The Chicago Department of Public Health reported last week that 10 of 12 confirmed cases in the area were found in the shelters.
“While we know Chicago’s limited resources cannot meet the full scale of need across the New Arrivals Mission, we are constantly evaluating options that will lead to better care for all Chicagoans,” Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement.
According to the mayor’s office, nearly 20,000 migrants have gone through the shelter system and…
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