Sanctuary City Chicago: Tuberculosis Reported at Multiple Migrant Shelters

Health officials in the sanctuary city of Chicago, Illinois, have reported several cases of tuberculosis at migrant shelters.

Officials with the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) revealed that there are “a small number of cases” of tuberculosis (TB) “among new arrivals in a few different shelters over the course of the response.”

A spokesperson with CDPH noted the high rates of TB in countries from which migrants are arriving in the United States:

It is important to note that an estimated 10-20% of residents of Central and South America have latent TB infection, which is asymptomatic and not transmissible to others, but does result in a positive TB test. For those who do have active cases of TB disease, CDPH assigns a nurse case manager to each individual and performs a contact tracing investigation. TB is curable with antibiotics and is not particularly infectious, typically requiring several hours or more of prolonged close contact between individuals to spread, but CDPH continues to take cases seriously in order to keep it contained. To date, CDPH has not confirmed any reports of TB that resulted from exposure to new arrivals in Chicago. [Emphasis added]

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Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez (D), who has lobbied to end the city’s sanctuary policy, blasted Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) and the city administration for ignoring the public health concerns that come with mass immigration.

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Performative politics and hurt feelings kept City Hall from avoiding the obvious looming disaster. Anyone who demanded action to protect our residents was called racist, xenophobic, and anti-immigrant by fringe politicians. [Emphasis added]

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