Chicago's migrant crisis cost millions, created division in mayor's first year
If more migrants are bussed to Chicago during this summer's DNC, the city says it already has space ready to handle a new influx.
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If more migrants are bussed to Chicago during this summer's DNC, the city says it already has space ready to handle a new influx.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been criticized for his response to the migrant crisis. The mission has cost millions of dollars and caused division in the City Council over whether or not the city should remain a sanctuary city. But it appears Chicago's migrant crisis won't be over anytime soon.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has been criticized for his response to the migrant crisis. The mission has cost millions of dollars and caused division in the City Council over whether or not the city should remain a sanctuary city. But it appears Chicago's migrant crisis won't be over anytime soon.
Chicago has seen a steady decline in the number of migrants living in temporary shelters in 2024, with the city's shelter population cut nearly in half since January.
City officials confirmed the shelter at the former Wadsworth Elementary School at 6420 S. University Av. had been "decompressed," and all of the migrants living there had been transferred to other city shelters.
The mayor's office plans to possibly relocate hundreds of new arrivals to Chicago's South Side ahead of the Democratic National Convention, despite strong opposition from neighbors and the alderwoman of the ward.
Since Dec. 31, 62 buses carrying nearly 2,500 migrants from Texas have arrived in Wilmette.
Over the past 30 days, the number of unscheduled buses increased to seven per week, with some happening in the middle of the night, according to officials.
The council also approved $48 million in grant money from the state and federal government, much of which will be used to pay outstanding debt the city owes for staffing and shelter costs.
The city already has budgeted $150 million to care for migrants this year, but the mayor's office has acknowledged that won't be enough for the entire year.
The change would move money away from the Kansas-based healthcare staffing firm and aim to create a unified housing system.
Chicago officials hope to change the way migrant shelters are run in an attempt to save some taxpayer dollars, but also to keep more of the money they are spending on the crisis in the city.
Some members asked why this may be taken from the city's rainy day fund and questioned whether they should spend more on the mission at all.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson's request for an additional $70 million to support asylum seekers was before a City Council committee on Monday. The city's Budget and Government Operations Committee approved the funding 20-8.
Hundreds of migrants were moved out of the shelters at Gage Park and Brands Park over the weekend.
Hundreds of migrants were moved out of shelters at two more Chicago Park District facilities over the weekend, and city officials said all shelters that had been operating at park facilities have now been closed.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is asking the City Council for an additional $70 million to support asylum seekers. A council committee was debating Monday whether they would approve the funding.
The mayor's office has been briefing alderpeople this week on the request, which will be presented to the City Council Budget Committee on Monday.
The pastor arranged for the family of 13 to stay in a church member's basement, but the city said it violated local ordinances.
A Northwest Indiana pastor said he was trying to help a migrant family get out of the cold and into a home, but Hammond officials said what he did was dangerous. The pastor told CBS 2 that a member of his church agreed to temporarily house a family of migrants. But this week, Hammond police stepped in and called the living arrangement dangerous and uninhabitable.
A Northwest Indiana pastor said he was trying to help a migrant family get out of the cold and into a home, but Hammond officials said what he did was dangerous.
The Archdiocese of Chicago will lease the former convent and former school building on the St. Bartholomew Church campus to the city for free.
With hundreds of migrants moving out of five Chicago Park District sites in the coming weeks, Mayor Brandon Johnson's office announced Friday that a new migrant family shelter will open at a shuttered Catholic school building and convent in Portage Park.
The mayor joined several local activists in urging the Biden administration to grant work permits to long-term undocumented immigrants, not just newly arrived asylum seekers.
A Kansas-based firm was hired to help care for new arrivals at city shelters with a one-year contract, originally for up to $40 million.
Minnesota forward Nick Foligno received a warm welcome in his first game against Chicago since he was acquired in a March 6 trade with the Blackhawks.
With the game tied going into the 9th, Eugenio Suárez smacked a double into left-center field to score pinch runner Javier Sonoja for what would prove to be the winning run.
Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean is projected to win the Democratic primary in the 8th Congressional District in Illinois, a seat incumbent U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is giving up to run for the U.S. Senate.
Chicago police said that the victim, an 18-year-old man, was struck in the head by gunfire on Tuesday evening.
The 2026 Illinois primary results in the race for governor set up a rematch between Gov. JB Pritzker and his 2022 Republican challenger Darren Bailey.
Former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean is projected to win the Democratic primary in the 8th Congressional District in Illinois, a seat incumbent U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi is giving up to run for the U.S. Senate.
The 2026 Illinois primary results in the race for governor set up a rematch between Gov. JB Pritzker and his 2022 Republican challenger Darren Bailey.
The 2026 Illinois primary election is Tuesday, March 17. Here are results for all races.
CBS News projects Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller has won the Democratic primary for U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly's seat in the 2nd Congressional District in Illinois, handing a defeat to former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. in his bid for a political comeback.
Illinois state Rep. La Shawn Ford is projected to be the winner of the crowded Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional District, in a race to replace U.S. Rep. Danny Davis, who will be retiring at the end of his term, according to CBS News analysis.
Tenants at a South Loop luxury high-rise that has been plagued with problems like broken elevators are vowing to fight five-day eviction notices.
It's become an annual March Madness tradition at CBS Chicago, pitting our city's best eateries in direct competition in a foodie bracket challenge. We did pizza, we've done Italian beef, we've done Chicago dogs. This year, we're taking flight with wings.
For Cook County residents hoping to lower their property tax bills, applications are open for exemptions.
Officials in the north Chicago suburb of Wilmette issued a warning Tuesday about scammers who are impersonating representatives of village departments.
The war with Iran is causing gas prices to surge, with motorists in Chicago and around the country guaranteed to feel the impact at the pump Monday morning.
A new Iowa law bans local nondiscrimination protections on the basis of gender identity after the state became the first in the U.S. to roll back its civil rights code last year.
Food containing norovirus may smell and taste normal but still cause serious illness if consumed, FDA warns.
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment from biotherapeutics company CSL for a new plasma therapy manufacturing plant in Kanakee.
When a doctor was told there was no cure for his daughter's condition, he was motivated to transform not only her health, but the lives of thousands of others.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
Despite a rash of restaurant closures, veterans of the plant-based food business pushed back against prophecies of doom — and in one case argued that such closures notwithstanding, plant-based eating is only growing.
Two popular Chicago craft breweries – Half Acre Beer Co. and Maplewood Brewery & Distillery – announced on Tuesday they are merging to create a new "premier Chicago beverage company."
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday announced a $1.5 billion investment from biotherapeutics company CSL for a new plasma therapy manufacturing plant in Kanakee.
Capital One is laying off more than 1,100 workers at the former Discover headquarters in north suburban Riverwoods.
A new development at the southeast corner of Chicago's East Lakeview community would clear away a medical office building and replace it with a residential high-rise.
Legendary Chicago blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy took the stage at the Oscars Sunday night, performing alongside the cast of "Sinners."
Amy Madigan, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Sunday night, is the daughter of a newsman who helped shape CBS Chicago in the 1960s.
"One Battle After Another" took home several big awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and the newly created Best Casting.
The acclaimed filmmaker, who died in February at age 96, revolutionized the art of documentaries with such films as "Titicut Follies." In an interview recorded last year, the pioneering Wiseman talked about his unusual production methods aimed at capturing life.
Comedy power couple Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally are starring in the Goodman Theatre's new musical coming this summer.
The fourth generation Chicago firefighter died on Tuesday after battling a fire in Rogers Park on Monday afternoon.
A quick-hitting clipper brings a round of light snow overnight, with a coating to around an inch for most areas. Chief Meteorologist Albert Ramon is tracking the latest.
Ford said he’s prepared to continue his push into November, with hopes of joining Congress to act as a counter to the Trump administration.
The Evanston Mayor spoke directly to Jan Schakowsky who was at his campaign headquarters on her 14 terms of service in the district.
Ald. Brendan Riley (42nd) was thought to be her toughest opponent. Preckwinkle held a commanding lead with 68% of the vote.
Candidates for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and Cook County Board President were among the races on the ballot in the 2026 Illinois primary election on Tuesday.
CBS News has projected Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton is the winner of the Democratic primary for Illinois' U.S. Senate seat.
Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss is projected to win the Democratic primary in the 9th Congressional District in Illinois, one of the most closely watched congressional races in the 2026 midterms.
A Chicago firefighter has died from injuries he sustained while battling an extra-alarm fire Monday afternoon in an apartment building in Rogers Park.
With the game tied going into the 9th, Eugenio Suárez smacked a double into left-center field to score pinch runner Javier Sonoja for what would prove to be the winning run.
Have you ever walked into a business with no employees? You may soon; autonomous businesses are becoming more popular.
Streets were left pooled with rainwater, and homes flooded after Sunday night's storms. Residents say there is one clear solution
Attorneys for the family of a woman killed in a crash during a high-speed police chase in 2017 say officers involved failed to activate their body cameras or turned them off during the pursuit.
A new specialized unit is being created to prosecute domestic violence homicides in Cook County, as these killings surged 15% last year, even as overall violent crime declined across Chicago.
After a year of water bill complaints in Lisle, Illinois, the village board is officially moving forward with a plan to review those issues and possibly have the village take over for the private utility that supplies water to part of the village.
Minnesota forward Nick Foligno received a warm welcome in his first game against Chicago since he was acquired in a March 6 trade with the Blackhawks.
With the game tied going into the 9th, Eugenio Suárez smacked a double into left-center field to score pinch runner Javier Sonoja for what would prove to be the winning run.
Matas Buzelis led the Bulls with 29 points, including five 3-pointers.
The top 16 seeds in the 68-team women's NCAA field will host first- and second-round games, with the regional rounds being played at two neutral sites for the fourth straight year.
Duke is the top overall seed in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, with Arizona, Michigan, and Florida also landing on the No. 1 line.
A man from Chicago's northwest suburbs stood charged Tuesday with leaving the scene of a crash and driving drunk, after authorities said he hit a pedestrian overnight near Barrington, Illinois.
A man stood charged Tuesday in two separate shootings that wounded a Chicago police sergeant and a 63-year-old woman in the Pullman and Roseland neighborhoods this past weekend.
Jurors delivered their verdict Monday in the trial of Kouri Richins, a Utah mother accused of murdering her husband and later publishing a children's book about grief.
A suspect Is in custody after one person was killed and another was critically injured in a stabbing on Sunday morning at a home in Merrillville, Indiana.
A man was critically injured after he was shot while driving in Chicago's West Humboldt Park neighborhood Sunday night.
