Construction of Chicago migrant tent camp in Brighton Park not starting yet, mayor's office says

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Despite the local alderman's claim that construction on a tent camp for migrants would begin Monday in Brighton Park, the mayor's office said work would start "at a later date."

Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th) sent out a letter late Saturday night stating Mayor Brandon Johnson's office notified her construction on the tent camp would begin Monday.

"Let me be clear: I am opposed to the construction of this site," Ramirez wrote.

But Monday morning, the mayor's office said equipment for work at the site was being delivered Monday morning "so construction can begin at a later date." It's unclear exactly when construction will start.

Protesters gathered at the site at 38th and California on Sunday, staging a rally against the city's plans for a "winterized base camp" for hundreds of asylum seekers.

For weeks the plan for the Brighton Park tent camp has been met with numerous protests and fierce opposition, as workers conducted site preparation and environmental assessments.

It's one of two tent camps the city has been planning to build to help move asylum seekers out of Chicago police stations and O'Hare International Airport. Migrants have been removed from at least five police stations as of Wednesday afternoon, although the city has not said exactly where they were moved.

Johnson has said he wants to clear out police stations by the start of winter. As of Sunday morning, more than 1,100 asylum seekers were still living at police stations, with another 160 at O'Hare. More than 12,000 were living in one of 26 active city-run shelters.

Upon opening, the tent camp in Brighton Park will house roughly 500 migrants, but would eventually be equipped to take on 2,000.

With safety one of the biggest concerns from those opposed to the plan, Ramirez has criticized Johnson for moving forward with the tent camp in the wake of the discovery of toxic metals that were recently found at the site. According to published reports, the site was once owned by a railroad company, and included a zinc smelter. An assessment by the city reportedly found heavy metal contamination at the site.

While Ramirez said in her letter to constituents that she was told the site has been cleaned up, she criticized the Johnson administration's handling of plans to build the tent camp there, saying she has not been shown a full environmental impact study of the site.

"We have been made aware that toxic metals are present in the soil and although remediation has been done, after a history of bad communication and lack of transparency from the city, this is not enough to assure the safety and health of the new arrivals expected to live on the site," she wrote.

In a statement Sunday evening, the mayor's office said details of the environmental assessment of the site would be released later this week. 

"As part of the assessment of a potential base camp site at 3710 S. California, the City performed environmental analysis and collected information including historical site and governmental environmental databases using the American Society for Testing and Materials international practices. In addition, the City conducted site visits and investigated pre-exiting conditions to determine any potential environmental impacts at the site. These common mitigation strategies are ongoing and anticipated for completion by the end of this week, weather permitting," 

"The City is confident that the property will be suited for the purpose for which it will be used."

The mayor's office's statement on Sunday did not confirm or deny Ramirez's claims that she had been told construction would begin Monday. 

Meantime, dozens of protesters braved the elements Sunday morning outside the construction site in Brighton Park, in a last-ditch effort to once again revolt against this plan.

"When you think about all the things that we allow to slide, this is another thing that we just can't allow this to happen," said Brighton Park resident Jacquelyn Zuniga.

"There's no transparency from the mayor, not even from Alderman Ramirez. You know, it's very inhumane to do this," said Raul Montes Jr.

"This mayor is acting like a dictator. He needs to go. He must go," said Dr. Kim Tee.

Regardless of what happens Monday morning, the city has already signed a contract with the private company that owns the Brighton Park site to pay them over $91,000 a month to lease the land.

The city also has purchased a site at 115th and Halsted in Morgan Park, to set up a second tent camp for migrants at the site of a vacant Jewel grocery store and parking lot. It's unclear when construction on the Morgan Park site will begin.

In:
• Chicago
• Migrants