Illinois halts construction of Chicago winter migrant camp while it reviews soil testing at site
Gov. JB Pritzker's administration has halted construction of a temporary winter camp for migrants in Chicago while the state reviews the removal of soil contaminants at the former industrial site
By means ofJOHN O'CONNOR AP political writer
December 4, 2023, 4:38 PM
Carolina Gonzalez of Venezuela carries supplies to the Chicago City Life Center on Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023, in Chicago. The community center and church welcomed about 40 migrants who previously lived in police stations and airports. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Gov. JB Pritzker's administration on Monday halted construction of a temporary winter camp for migrants in Chicago as the state reviews the removal of soil contaminants at the former industrial site.
The review, which a spokesman for the governor said won't last long, concerns hundreds of migrants who were transported to the state from Texas over the past year and are still living in or outside police stations in the city or at Chicago's busiest airport.
The city on Friday released a study from Chicago consultant Terracon detailing the discovery and removal of plots of soil from the site in the Brighton Park neighborhood with higher-than-expected mercury levels.
“At one location, soil with mercury levels was identified and subsequently removed and properly disposed of in a landfill,” Mayor Brandon Johnson's office said in a statement. “Due to the limited soil removal and installation and maintenance of the barrier, the location is safe for temporary residential use.”
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency will review the tests, Pritzker spokesman Jordan Abudayyeh said. The agency spoke with Terracon on Monday about the work the company was doing at the site to determine whether it is safe for migrants to be temporarily housed there in winterized tent housing, Abudayyeh said. She expected a decision very soon.
The state has allocated $65 million for the tent camp in Brighton Park and for permanent structures at a site in the Little Village neighborhood. Together they would house 2,200 migrants.
Some residents of Brighton Park have been protesting the plan for weeks, saying the zoning is inappropriate and the land is too contaminated.
The mayors of Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and New York have urged more federal aid to deal with the surge of asylum seekers. Migrants arrive in Democratic-run cities on buses funded by the Republican governors of Texas and Florida. Critics initially dismissed the effort as a political stunt, but more than a year later, cities are struggling to cope with the influx and their resources are dwindling.
