CHICAGO — Chicago has begun evicting some migrants from its shelters, a controversial policy that had been delayed for months but appeared haphazard, a migrant told NBC News on Monday.
Migrants who have been evicted, as well as those who face a rapidly approaching deadline, said there has been widespread confusion about the process and frustration with being forced to leave while they still lack the resources to find their own places to stay.
In the first two days of enforcement, fewer than 10 migrants have been evicted from their shelters, according to the city. Five migrants were forced to leave Monday because of the policy, a city spokesperson said, while three were evicted Sunday.
Franklin Romero, 29, a Venezuelan migrant, said someone told him at the Woodlawn shelter just one day before that he had to leave by 2 p.m. Monday.
“It was unbelievable. We have no stability,” said Romero, who was wearing a silver coat and black pants after he was forced out on a day with freezing temperatures and snow flurries.
Romero said he tried to explain that he had to work Monday and could not leave the shelter before 2 p.m. with all of his belongings. He also said another person at the shelter told him that he actually needed to leave by 12:30 p.m.
He felt disrespected by t being rushed to leave the place he called home for months.
“It was clear that I needed to leave, and I respected that, but the treatment, it was a lack of respect,” he said.
The city said Monday that there were 11,253 migrants in 23 city- and state-run shelters and that it has received about 37,308 new arrivals since 2022, when Texas Gov. Greg Abbot began sending people to cities across the country.
The city has sought to limit shelter stays to 60 days for the more than 10,000 migrants, requiring them to find housing or apply for other shelter at the city’s “landing zone” for new arrivals after their exit dates arrive. The evictions also come amid a measles outbreak at one of the…
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