New details emerge in death of young migrant in Chicago

CHICAGO - In a Tuesday update, Mayor Brandon Johnson's office revealed that the death of 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero was not attributed to an infectious disease.

Furthermore, the tragic incident is said to be unrelated to three other children who were hospitalized from the same shelter on Halsted in Pilsen.

The heartbreaking event unfolded on Sunday afternoon when Martinez Rivero, alongside his family, returned to the shelter and suffered a medical emergency.

Despite immediate first aid by shelter staff, which included chest compressions, Martinez Rivero passed away at Comer Children's Hospital. The medical examiner is still investigating the boy's death. The cause of death is still pending.

Responding to concerns about shelter conditions, the Mayor's office says there is currently no evidence of an outbreak and that the migrant illnesses align with seasonal respiratory trends.

While city officials dismissed the notion of an outbreak, there have been clusters of illness at other shelters where people sleep on cots close to each other, including chicken pox and hand foot and mouth disease. Area doctors are growing increasingly worried about RSV and COVID-19 this winter.

"These are hard environments for people to rest and feel good and be able to take care of themselves," said Dr. Evelyn Figueroa, who recently toured the shelter where the boy was living. She runs a nearby food pantry and has spent most of her medical career working with homeless, immigrant and low-income populations.

About 2,300 people are staying at the Pilsen shelter, a former warehouse near downtown. The space has about 10 isolation rooms for when people get sick, according to Figueroa.

Questions about the environment for migrants come as Chicago is winding down its much-maligned practice of using police stations and airports for temporarily housing migrants arriving in the city. However, its use of shelters — which range from park district field houses to commercial spaces — have prompted equal criticism.

Residents have complained of faulty heat, water leaks, expired food and crowded conditions that are closed to the public, including reporters and some volunteers who were critical in providing medical care at police stations.

More than 26,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago over the past year by bus and plane with about 14,000 currently in shelters. Roughly 10,000 have been resettled into their own places, which is the city’s ultimate goal. Chicago recently instituted a 60-day limit for shelters, with the first batch of evictions taking effect next month.

In another setback earlier this month, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration announced that it is scrapping plans for a temporary winter camp for migrants in the city's Brighton Park neighborhood on the southwest side, citing the risk of contaminants at the former industrial site.

Some medical professionals worry that more migrants will end up back at police stations or on the street.

"We are going to be needed again very shortly," said Sara Izquierdo, a medical student at the University of Illinois Chicago, who organized teams of medics to provide free care at police stations.

She and others argue that they city hasn’t done enough to provide basic care.

City officials say each person is evaluated for medical issues when placed at city shelters and the city has partnered with two organizations to provide weekly medical care at shelters.

The city also pointed to its partnership with Cook County, which set up a clinic exclusively for migrants last year on the city’s northwest side. As many as 100 patients are seen per day for vaccines, routine health concerns like rashes, and referrals for dental care or mental health issues. The clinic has seen more than 18,000 patients overall.

Mayor Brandon Johnson has directed blame at border states. He told reporters earlier this week that "the conditions in which people are arriving in Chicago are quite disturbing," he said. "People are showing up in very extreme circumstances. Very very unhealthy."

He cited Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's practice of busing migrants to northern cities without notice and migrants' strenuous, perilous journeys from their home countries as reasons for the health issues shelter residents are facing.

"They're just dropping off people anywhere. Do you understand how raggedy and how evil that is?" Johnson said.

The shelters are run by a private-staffing company, Favorite Healthcare Staffing, which city officials have said provides some basic medical care and calls ambulances. At the Pilsen shelter, one Chicago organization has helped with medical care a few hours a week.

The city has spent about $94 million for Favorite Healthcare’s services — nearly 70% of its total spending, despite critics’ claims that Favorite’s costs are exorbitant and shelter conditions and resident treatment are poor. The company, which staffs the shelter where Martinez had lived, said they are working with the city and other authorities to investigate the incident.

"We are heartbroken to learn of the death of a child at a Pilsen shelter on Sunday, and we send our deepest condolences to his loved ones and community. We take the safety and wellbeing of all shelter residents seriously," Vice President Keenan Driver said in an emailed statement.

A vigil for the child and family is scheduled for Wednesday evening.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.