Neighbors march against Chicago migrant tent camp; lawsuit claims it's unsafe
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It will be at least a few weeks before Chicago leaders are ready to open winterized base camps to house some of the 2,500 migrants now living at either Chicago Police district stations or the city's two airports.
In the Brighton Park neighborhood on the city's Southwest Side, officials are waiting for environmental tests before deciding whether to open a base camp on California Avenue at 37th Street. As CBS 2's Marissa Perlman reported Friday, neighbors are still fighting to stop the build.
Hundreds of neighbors chanted "no camp" as they marched in Brighton Park Friday. They have been demonstrating against the proposed tent camp for weeks.
The contract is signed for the Brighton Park site, which is set to house nearly 2,000 migrants. But the community said its voices are not being heard.
The Brighton Park neighbors marched Friday from the base camp site to the office of Ald. Julia Ramirez (12th), which was closed for Veterans Day.
"We're more concerned about safety," one marcher said. "We don't know who they are."
"We need answers," said Roberto Silvestri of Brighton Park. "That's what we want is – answers."
Along the route, Juan Pena watched the action from his front door.
"I have a long time here – 30 years here," he said, "and for me, it's not good that these people are coming here."
A lawsuit has now been filed to try to block the Brighton Park base camp. It says the site is contaminated and is unsafe for migrants – or anyone else.
The city is waiting for soil samples to make sure the site is safe. If it's not, the city will cancel the $91,000 lease agreement and look elsewhere.
"Everybody knows this land is toxic," said Richard Zupkus. "The neighborhood here - our resources are finite. The schools are already packed."
But safety for both migrants and the community is now the biggest concern.
"This is a quasi-prison they're building," Zupkus said. "It's not cool. It's not where you want to like come and be welcomed to America."
This week, the City Council also approved a second winterized tent location at 115th and Halsted streets – at the site of a now-vacant Jewel-Osco store. City workers will clean it and confirm if the city can provide electricity and water.
Both that site and the one in Brighton Park are weeks away from opening.
Meanwhile, top leaders from City Hall shared a clearer picture of what the base camps might look like.
At capacity, each would house 1,500 people. The city has not decided whether families or single adults will live in them.
The city said there will be multiple tents – up to four on each site housing between 200 and 300 migrants.
Across the building, there are 25 active "temporary" shelters housing more than 12,000 migrants. The buildings include hotels, community centers, and a YMCA that closed nearly three years ago.
More than 20,000 asylum seekers have arrived in Chicago since August 2022.
Some voices in the march Friday asked the city to adjust its plans.
"We have homeless here. It's pretty obvious what the people of Brighton Park want. We don't want to be occupied. We must find the solution to the oncoming problem, fast," said Roberto Silvestri. "We need Chicagoans to be attended first."
Meanwhile, the attorney on the case says they are still trying to collect as much information as possible before they go in front of a judge.