Englewood residents rally against migrant bus arrivals

CHICAGO - To date this year, Chicago has welcomed 376 migrant buses from the Texas border, and that doesn't include new arrivals who have traveled to the city by plane.

While no buses arrived on Monday and only one showed up Sunday, the city is still struggling to house more than 3,000 migrants.

On the eve of a major meeting in Brighton Park, and just hours until migrant families are set to move into a shelter in West Town, a group of Englewood residents is calling on the city to turn migrant buses around.

Held at the Center of Englewood, a group of residents attended what was dubbed a ‘Stop the Buses’ rally.

Hosted by the Black American Voters Project and NumbersUSA, panelists shared how they feel immigration negatively impacts Black Americans.

"What we’re hearing from residents, basically, is that their voices are not being heard, that people aren’t taking them seriously," said Pamela Denise Long, ‘Stop the Buses’ rally panelist and Newsweek contributor. "I think what we’re seeing there is we’re at this crucial point in American history where we’re trying to balance diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism with what it means to be a nation state that attends to the needs of its own people first."

Meanwhile, in West Town, residents who are suing over a migrant shelter at 526 N. Western Avenue were denied a temporary restraining order last week. According to Ald. Gilbert Villegas' (36th Ward) office, families are expected to begin moving into the building sometime Tuesday.

As meetings grow heated, like one over the weekend in the city’s South Shore neighborhood, another town hall is scheduled in Brighton Park on Tuesday evening. Up for community discussion is the proposed migrant encampment at 38th and California.

While the site is located in Ald. Julia Ramirez's 12th Ward, the meeting will be held by Ald. Ray Lopez (15th Ward), who represents part of the neighborhood and says he feels residents were quieted during a meeting on the topic last month.

Tuesday’s meeting will be held at the Brighton Park Community Campus, located at 4800 S. Western Ave., from 6 to 8 p.m.