Death of 5-year-old in Pilsen raises questions about Chicago's migrant shelters
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A 5-year-old boy who was living at one of Chicago's migrant shelters is dead, raising alarms about the conditions inside.
At least six people have been taken to the hospital from the shelter since Sunday, five children and one teenager, including 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero, who died on Sunday.
Police said he was not feeling well Sunday afternoon when he was taken from the shelter near Cermak Road and Halsted Street in Pilsen to the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Another ambulance was seen leaving the shelter late Monday night, and residents said people were sick inside.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Department of Public Health confirmed they are dealing with chickenpox cases at several migrant shelters, including the Pilsen location, but it's unknown if Jean Carlos was infected with chickenpox when he died.
Mayor Brandon Johnson has offered his condolences to the boy's family, and has said the city will provide them with support services.
As for what led to the boy's death, Johnson claimed it isn't a question of how the city's shelters are run, but instead accused Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of sending asylum seekers to Chicago under inhumane conditions.
"The condition in which people are arriving in Chicago are quite disturbing," he said. "They're showing up sick. Do you hear me? They're showing up sick. The issue is not just how we respond in the City of Chicago, it's the fact that we have a governor – a governor, an elected official in the state of Texas – that is placing families on buses without shoes; cold, wet, tired, hungry, afraid, traumatized."
Johnson has repeatedly criticized Abbott for not coordinating with the city when sending migrants to Chicago, so the city can better prepare for the arrival of buses bringing in asylum seekers.
"They're just dropping off people anywhere. Do you understand how raggedy and how evil that is? You're just going to put people on a bus, and just take them somewhere and drop them off in the middle of the night?" he said. "It's sickening."
Johnson said the city is doing what it can, working to help families who are seeking asylum. The mayor said medical care is available at each of the shelters.
On Sunday, when Jean Carlos was rushed to the hospital, witnesses said there had been a prior call for help, but his family was denied immediate medical assistance.
One woman living at the Pilsen shelter, who asked to remain anonymous, said she's concerned about the conditions there. She claimed many kids in the Pilsen warehouse turned housing facility have fevers and stomach pain.
A mother of two, who also asked to remain anonymous, said she had to send her 1-year-old daughter to the hospital in an ambulance Sunday night, after multiple requests. She said both her children – ages 1 and 3 – had a fever, but was told there was no reason to call for an ambulance.
She said it wasn't the first time they have had to go to the hospital since they have been in Chicago. She said she's asked if they could move to another shelter with fewer people, because she said her children are asthmatic. She claims staff laughed at her, and told her that wasn't a reason to move them.
Video from inside the shelter shows what sources said is material falling from the ceiling. Asylum seekers who are living there said this is a regular occurrence.
Migrants living at the Pilsen shelter also have reported leaks from the ceiling, and cold conditions inside.
Miles away from the Pilsen shelter, pews at St. Bartholomew Church in the Portage Park neighborhood were filled Monday with nearby residents who learned that up to 350 new arrivals could soon be moving into vacant buildings on the campus.
We asked leaders with the Archdiocese about plans to keep migrants healthy at the newly-proposed site, which would be operated by the city.
"I think with the additional support the parish can provide, we're obviously very keenly aware of some of challenges - and want to be sure we're providing a safe environment for the families staying here," said Eric Wollan, chief capital assets officer for the Archdiocese of Chicago.
CBS 2's Charlie De Mar also spoke Monday with medical volunteers who have treated migrants at shelters since their arrival. They said they tried to get into the Pilsen facility, but were not allowed in – and called the young boy's death preventable.
Mayor Johnson said he knows nothing about that.
Meantime, the cause of the 5-year-old boy's death remains under investigation.
