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Tenants of South Shore apartment, previously raided by feds, forced out due to foreclosure

As winter weather hovers over Chicago, tenants at a South Shore apartment building said they're being pushed out with nowhere to go.

The same building was raided by federal immigration agents earlier this year, and now residents said they need more time and help to relocate.

Tenants at the building claim that they've been living in dangerous conditions for months, and now there's a surprise eviction set for this Friday. 

In court on Monday, they requested more time, relocation funds, and a clear relocation plan. However, that request was denied.

The building at 75th and South Shore has been under scrutiny since a pre-dawn federal immigration raid at the beginning of October, when 37 people, including U.S. citizens, were detained. 

That raid also exposed problems tenants said they've been living with for months, including no heat, no electricity in parts of the building, and, for people with disabilities, no working elevator on some floors.

The building is now in foreclosure, and tenants have been ordered out with nowhere to go and have been priced out of the neighborhood.

"I have done everything right, and yet I have to find somewhere to go in the next four days and move all of my belongings in the snow," said tenant Raymond Corona. 

Residents formed the South Shore Tenants Union, demanding repairs and protections, but on Thanksgiving, some came home to eviction notices taped to their doors.

A judge granted an emergency request from the building's owner, Wells Fargo, giving families just days to move.

"We are in an emergency situation. Some of us are still stuck in this building ... some of us have been stuck in this building. Friday is our last day," said tenant Darren Hightower.

In court, tenants asked for 60 more days to relocate and $7,500 per household for moving costs, but the judge denied the motion to reconsider.

Calling the building a "fire trap," the judge said, "The court has to get these people out. The court has found this building is dangerous and hazardous."

"People have been trying to get out of this building," Infinity Grant of South Side Together said. "It's not that people don't want to leave ... people aren't dragging their feet. It's that it's hard."

Mayor Brandon Johnson also pushed for a delay, sending a letter asking the management company to postpone the eviction and provide a lump-sum payment to tenants.

"We don't control the court, but we have made it very clear that an extension should be granted, and more resources for those families should be provided," Johnson said.

With the deadline set, residents said they're now scrambling to pack, not knowing where they'll go next.

"We want to make sure that everyone in this building will be out by the 12th, but not out in the cold," Grant said.

And in court, the building's management said they are on site helping with moves. Twelve residents have already accepted relocation assistance. Residents said they've been offered between $1,500 and $5,000, but no place to go. 

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