Chicago's plan to house migrants in tents at base camps: what we know
CHICAGO (CBS) -- There are many questions, and not many answers, about the city's new plan to house migrants at base camps with military-grade tents.
As CBS 2's Sabrina Franza reported, the goal is to move the people who are currently living at Chicago Police stations into military-grade tents. City leaders tell us they plan to learn from other cities that have started doing the same already – before they move forward.
Tent structures for migrants are already set up in New York City. Green stickers are used to show the rows and rows of migrants who would eventually live inside.
One tent is supposed to house 1,000 people – similar to what we heard will happen in Chicago.
The New York City tents have a kitchen portion, and air conditioners to keep up with the hot temperatures.
In Chicago, the concern is the winter.
"We need to make sure that these tents are winterized," said Ald. Michael Rodriguez (22nd). "I've heard that they will be."
We do not know what the tents will look like, though we have been told they will be "military-grade."
"The city was looking at setting up these military-grade type base camps," said Ald. Andre Vasquez (40th), chairman of the City Council Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights.
There is also no word yet on how the tents will be outfitted for winter.
One location for the tents is 115th and Halsted streets – a huge empty lot that our sources say will house up to 1,400 migrants.
The former parking lot for the long-shuttered Halsted Indoor Mall was supposed to become housing for low-income Chicagoans, retail, and green space. The site had been set to be developed into the Morgan Park Commons, for which the State of Illinois has already appropriated $15 million in funds.
We don't know where that money is going. Far South Community Development Corporation, the nonprofit that was behind the project, declined to do an interview with us.
They did say they haven't received a confirmation about this new plan, but are open to working with the mayor on what's best for "the needs of the migrants and the residents."
We also reached out to Ald. Ronnie Mosley (21st), who represents the area of 115th and Halsted streets, and did not hear back.
The mayor did say the current situation – living at police stations – is undignified. But he would not elaborate on where, when, or for how
The biggest question we've been hearing is, when will this end? Many of the alderpeople we talked to pointed to the federal government – asking the Biden administration to push on emergency work authorizations for migrants.
