Expand / Collapse search
☰

Nearly $300M spent on Chicago migrant aid since 2022

By Will Hager
Published  April 12, 2024 12:19pm CDT
Migrants in Chicago
FOX 32 Chicago

Nearly $300M spent on Chicago migrant aid since 2022

Over $295 million has been spent to address the influx of tens of thousands of Chicago migrants who were bussed in from Texas since August 2022, according to new numbers released Friday.

CHICAGO - Over $295 million has been spent to address the influx of tens of thousands of Chicago migrants who were bussed in from Texas since August 2022, according to new numbers released Friday.

Nearly 39,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago in the past 20 months, according to city data.

The $295 million used to help asylum seekers has come from city, state and federal funding.

  • $143 million from a combination of direct and pass-through federal grants
  • $80 million from state grants
  • $72 million from the city's Corporate Fund

Last November, 5,000 asylum seekers were sheltered in Chicago police stations and airports. City officials decommissioned the use of police stations and airports to house migrants in December, putting new arrivals into temporary emergency shelters.

Nearly 12,000 migrant children have been enrolled in Chicago Public Schools since August 2022.

Chicago City Council members approved a total of $150 million to help migrants in the 2024 budget.