Chicago Residents Outraged as Migrant Camp Construction Begins

After months of heated debate and community pushback, the City of Chicago is going through with its plans to construct a winterized base camp for migrant housing in Brighton Park.

Located at 38th Street and California Avenue, crews wasted no time Wednesday – nearly completing the framework for two massive tents in the southeast corner of the lot.

“They’re going to start moving as soon as they can, because they gotta cover their tails, and I’m talking about the mayor and the alderwoman. They’ve been lying since day one,” said Ricardo Palacios, community member.

While city officials haven’t revealed a move-in date for migrants, they previously stated that once the build starts, the encampment will be finished in a matter of days.

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For months, neighbors feel they’ve been kept in the dark, but now it’s as clear as day. Multiple tent structures will be erected on the land and migrants will soon be calling the site ‘home’ – despite fierce opposition from community members.

“Nobody was really told this was going to happen, they basically said, ‘we’re going to do this, shut up,’” said Michael Patlan, community member.

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City officials say the encampment could house upwards of 2,000 new arrivals. Migrants will have an 11 p.m. curfew, but neighbors fear it will be tough to enforce and say they are worried about a potential uptick in crime.

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Community members are also concerned about schools becoming overcrowded.

Plus, The build comes as neighbors are still sounding the alarm about what lies beneath the surface.

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Formerly an industrial site, residents believe the soil is contaminated. {snip}

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