Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights meeting, June 28, 2023
- When: Wed, Jun 28, 2023, 11:00 AM (Chicago time)
- Where: City Council Chamber, 2nd Floor, City Hall, 121 North LaSalle Street - Chicago, IL 60602
- Status: Scheduled & Published
- Committee: Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights
- Video: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8928487/video/838421968
- Transcript: full text (24,128 words, official captions)
Meeting notes
AI-written from the transcript. Speakers are inferred from cues in the recording, so treat names as estimates and check the video at the linked time.
The Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights held a subject matter hearing on the city's response to new arrivals and a resolution calling for monthly hearings on that response. Three public commenters spoke about a faith community housing initiative, grassroots support in Little Village and staffing costs, and a call for hearings on police handling of U visa certifications, which the chair said would be scheduled. Mayor's office and immigrant affairs staff reported about 11,000 arrivals since August 2022, 4,988 people in 12 shelters and over 650 waiting in police stations, plans to replace costly staffing contracts with community providers, state funding of $92 million, rental assistance, and volunteer, school enrollment and federal advocacy efforts. Members asked about spending breakdowns, City Key IDs, communication with alderpersons and police districts, school capacity, non-Latin American arrivals and what should be put in written reports, and the committee recommended passage of the resolution for monthly hearings.
Topics: asylum seekers, new arrivals shelter system, police station sheltering, staffing contracts, rental assistance, City Key ID, federal immigration policy, communication with alderpersons, public comment
Agenda items discussed
- 8:51 Public comment
- 17:48 Subject matter hearing on the city's response to new arrivals and resolution calling for monthly hearings (R2023-0001022): passed
Alderpersons who spoke
- Andre Vasquez Jr. (chair): Said the committee plans to address police handling of U visa certifications at a subsequent hearing. (17:26); Said the hearings aim to make the city's response transparent and accountable, noting over 10,000 arrivals and more than 500 people living in police stations and airports. (18:04); Said monthly hearings will each focus on a different department and include mutual aid representatives. (1:13:20)
- Chris Taliaferro (alderperson): Asked where the roughly 5,500 arrivals not shown as sheltered or awaiting shelter have gone. (59:47); Asked for a breakdown of how the $51 million was spent and who received contracts. (1:02:03); Said a City Key event in his ward was canceled because migrants could not use the police station address, and asked what address they can use. (1:05:02)
- Michael D. Rodriguez (alderperson): Said his understanding is that DFSS gives migrants letters allowing them to obtain City Key IDs. (1:06:30); Recognized community volunteers delivering meals, showers and school enrollment, and noted rising numbers at the 10th District. (1:36:44); Said he understands reducing staffing contract costs but is concerned about service quality and staffing shortages in a transition. (1:38:43)
- Nicole T. Lee (alderperson): Said migrants in the 9th District had City Keys issued with the police station address and urged a standard approach. (1:08:15)
- Jeanette B. Taylor (alderperson): Thanked the administration for the long-requested hearings and asked for spending by shelter and community and for DFSS to attend. (1:10:02); Asked for a list of community-based organizations used, saying some staff in her ward came from Texas and do not know the community. (1:10:54); Asked about wraparound services in adult shelters, support for existing unhoused residents and school data and language access for children. (1:12:08)
- Maria E. Hadden (alderperson): Asked which alderpersons are in the weekly working group. (1:14:47); Suggested better communication from the emergency operations center to police districts, citing an air quality incident at the 24th District. (1:16:47); Suggested designating schools with experience serving immigrants for coordinated enrollment and resources before fall. (1:20:05)
- Pat Dowell (alderperson): Called the presentation's detail and transparency refreshing and said she would share it with constituents. (1:27:27); Praised faith community involvement and asked when the staffing RFP will be released and how the two application routes differ. (1:28:39); Asked for breakdowns of the $101 million and $92 million and how the decisions are made on moving people between police stations. (1:31:27)
- Byron Sigcho-López (alderperson): Thanked the administration for a plan and said the prior administration did not plan despite knowing Title 42 would end. (1:48:43); Asked about state-level advocacy on work permits and status for asylum seekers. (1:51:05); Asked whether rental assistance can reach families in volunteer-run shelters and raised concerns about health care access for undocumented residents. (1:55:04)
- Jeylú B. Gutiérrez (alderperson): Asked whether there is a uniform protocol for police stations, including use of community rooms and people being sent out during the day. (2:01:22); Requested standard operating procedures for police stations and shelters, including food and grievance processes, and invited colleagues to visit shelters. (2:04:08); Asked whether shelter residents are being signed up for the state health benefits program before enrollment changes take effect. (2:23:38)
- Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (alderperson): Said the Broadway Armory may become a shelter for over 500 people and she is seeking lessons from colleagues who have hosted shelters. (2:06:15); Shared concerns from a medical case manager about housing barriers, disability access, mental health, legal access and language access. (2:08:43); Asked how CPS, transit, parks and libraries are included in the coordinated strategy. (2:13:54)
- Jessica L. Fuentes (alderperson): Said the infrastructure is being built in real time and urged caution about written reports that could be misconstrued, while documenting asks of state and federal officials. (2:25:19)
- Felix Cardona Jr. (alderperson): Said reports are living documents that quickly change and expressed concern that federal immigration reform will not happen in an election year. (2:28:05)
Exchanges between members
- 1:08:15 Lee responded to Taliaferro's City Key address concern, saying migrants in the 9th District used the station address.
- 1:14:10 Taylor agreed with Taliaferro that information should be shared with all alderpersons.
- 1:14:32 Hadden referenced Taylor's point that many members felt in the dark.
- 1:17:06 Hadden said she hears concerns similar to Taliaferro's from her police district.
- 1:36:25 Rodriguez congratulated the chair on holding a meeting early in his chairmanship.
- 1:47:24 Rodriguez said Taylor and others had articulated the need for communication well.
- 1:48:43 Sigcho-López thanked the chair and wished him a speedy recovery.
- 2:06:15 Manaa-Hoppenworth congratulated the chair and vice-chair.
- 2:07:21 Manaa-Hoppenworth echoed Rodriguez on defining the city's asks of the federal government.
- 2:14:42 The chair answered Manaa-Hoppenworth that the resolution sets up a series of hearings covering other agencies.
- 2:28:24 Cardona agreed with Fuentes about being careful with what is put in writing.