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Chicago City Council to consider proposed migrant tent at former Jewel Osco this week

By Fox 32 Digital Staff
Updated  November 1, 2023 6:34pm CDT
Migrants in Chicago
FOX 32 Chicago

Chicago City Council debates proposed 'tent city' for migrants

The committee on housing and real estate approved the purchase of a six and a half acre site. Migrants will also be moving into a temporary shelter in West Town Wednesday.

CHICAGO - After Far South Side residents voiced their concerns, Chicago City Council plans to vote on the purchase of land for Mayor Johnson's plan for a migrant "tent city" at a former Jewel Osco sometime this week.

Chicago just got its first snow of the season and migrants are still being housed in tents outside police stations across the city. 

The proposed winterized camp would be set up near the West Pullman neighborhood at 115th Street and Halsted. 

Last month, 21st Ward Alderman Ronnie Mosley held a meeting on the issue and residents made their distaste for the mayor's solution known. 

'This is not fair': Chicago residents fired up about plan for migrant 'tent city'

South Side residents blasted the city's plan to put a migrant 'tent city' where an old Jewel-Osco used to stand.

"How can you come into a community and dump people into a community like this, this is not fair," said community member Annette Cain at the September meeting.

Originally, the City Council was scheduled to vote on the plan Wednesday, however, Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez told FOX 32 Chicago that the vote was "deferred and published" and that it will be reconsidered this week, though a date and time has not yet been determined. 

The Committee on Housing and Real Estate approved the purchase of the land on Monday, however, it still needs to pass the full City Council.

Since last August, Chicago has received over 20,000 migrants.