Andrea Medina and Gabriel Castillo
CHICAGO — With the first round of the 60-day shelter stay limit policy expected to expire in a week, advocates against it rallied at Pritzker Park on Saturday afternoon to demand a stop to evictions.
“We’re talking about 5,000 evictions in the next 30 days,” 8th district mutual aid volunteer Kathryn Zamarron said.
With the help of an interpreter, Reina Jerez, a Colombian migrant who arrived in Chicago about seven months ago, attended the rally to speak up for other migrants who may be at risk of losing their place at a shelter and don’t have anywhere else to go.
“It has almost become impossible to find secure work. What are the options for migrants, what can we do? This has led many people to having to beg at the streets for support and money,” Jerez’s interpreter said.
Jerez was previously staying at the Sheridan Road Super 8 Motel. She said she has since moved to an apartment, thanks to a government assistance program that is helping her cover three months of rent, but knows that is only temporary and fears that she and migrants living at shelters could get evicted and end up homeless, without a source of income.
Jerez said she is fighting to get employment, but can’t get a job anywhere without a work permit.
There are 23 active shelters run by the City of Chicago and the State of Illinois. Nearly 11,500 migrants are currently relying on the shelter system as temporary housing, while they wait for asylum status and work permits.
The Johnson administration announced the eviction plans months ago and previously stated that the efforts were meant to help migrants with their resettlement journey in Chicago. But mutual aid volunteer Mimi Guiracocha believes it only sets them up to face a harsher, second private eviction if they’re placed into a rental unit when they’re not employed.
“Because now if they’re faced with an eviction, guess what, it goes on their record, and guess what, it becomes harder to find somewhere to live after that,” Guiracocha said.
Shelter evictions were supposed to happen a while ago, but it was pushed back a few times due to the cold weather.
If the process is executed this time around. asylum seekers could find themselves on the streets or at the landing zone, which is where they’re asked to go to request another shelter placement.
Advocates said they hope the enforcement is postponed or completely lifted.
“We know Brandon is better, but we need to see him do better and what that looks like is providing all us in a meaningful way and we can start by not having evictions in our shelters.” Dixon Romeo, from the local community group “Not Me We,” said.
WGN-TV has reached out to Mayor Johnson’s office about whether evictions will be enforced or delayed, but has not yet received a response.
The first wave of evictions is set to kick in next on Saturday, March 16.
This article was originally published by a wgntv.com . Read the Original article here. .