CHICAGO – Hidden behind thick black curtains at one of the nation’s busiest airports is Chicago’s unsettling response to a growing population of asylum seekers arriving by plane.
Hundreds of migrants, from infants to the elderly, live inside a shuttle bus center at O’Hare International Airport’s Terminal 1.
They slept on cardboard pads on the floor and shared an airport bathroom. A private firm monitors their movements.
Like New York and other cities, Chicago has struggled to house asylum seekers, slowly moving people out of temporary spaces and into shelters and, soon, tents.
But the use of Chicago’s airport is unusual, has been rejected elsewhere, and highlights the city’s haphazard response to the crisis.
The practice has also raised concerns about the safety and treatment of people fleeing violence and poverty.
“It’s supposed to be a stop-and-go place,” said Vianney Marzullo, one of several volunteers at O’Hare. “It is very worrying. It is not only a matter of safety, but also a matter of public health.”
Migrants stay in a temporary shelter at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport on September 20, 2023.AP Photo/Erin Hooley
Some immigrants stayed at O’Hare for weeks, then were transferred to police stations or managed to get into the few shelters available.
In a few weeks, Chicago plans to roll out winter tents, something New York has already done.
Up to 500 people have lived at O’Hare at once in a space much smaller than a city block, enveloped by curtains held shut with staples.
Their movements are monitored by a private company whose staff controls the entry and exit of the curtain.
A curtain separating asylum seekers from the rest of the airport. AP Photo/Erin Hooley
Disease spreads quickly. Company personnel provide limited first aid and call an ambulance. A team of volunteer doctors visited once during the summer and their supplies were destroyed.
Chicago offered food, but only at certain times and many foods unfamiliar to newcomers.
While immigrants closer to Chicago’s core have access to a strong network of volunteers, food and clothing donations at O’Hare are limited, due to airport security concerns.
Most of the 14,000 immigrants who arrived in Chicago last year came from Texas, largely under the direction of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
Up to 500 immigrants have temporarily stayed at O’Hare.AP Photo/Erin Hooley
As more migrants arrived, the city’s existing services were strained.
Officials are struggling to find long-term housing solutions while saying the city needs more help from the state and federal government. Brandon Johnson took over in May and has proposed tents.
Many of the migrants come from Venezuela, where the political, social and economic crisis of the past decade has pushed millions of people into poverty.
At least 7.3 million have left, with many risking the often arduous route to the United States.
Volunteer Vianney Marzullo has expressed concern about safety and public health issues at O’Hare for immigrants.AP Photo/Erin Hooley
Maria Daniela Sanchez Valera, 26, who went through the dangerous and jungle-clad Darien Gap with her 2-year-old daughter, arrived at O’Hare a few days ago.
She fled Venezuela five years ago to Peru, where her daughter was born. After her daughter’s father was killed, she left.
“We came here with the intention of working, not with the intention of being given everything,” he said.
The Biden Administration’s recent plan to offer temporary legal status, and the ability to work, to Venezuelans does not apply to him because he arrived after the deadline.
He tried to entertain the little boy by walking around the terminal.
The company’s Favorite Health Care workers have been hired to monitor the movement of migrants.AP Photo/Erin Hooley
On a recent day, a staff member told Valera to make her daughters stop running or they would be kicked out.
The company, Preferred Health Care Employees, said employees treated the new arrivals with respect and it would investigate further.
Valera said he wanted to take the train from the airport, but he didn’t have the subway fare of about $5.
“There are many people who have been able to come out and they say that in the garbage dump you can find good clothes for children,” he added.
Chicago plans to erect winter tents to shelter immigrants.AP Photo/Erin Hooley
Chicago began using the city’s two international airports as temporary shelters as the number of immigrants arriving by plane increased.
Nearly 3,000 people who arrived by plane since June have sought refuge.
A handful live at Midway International Airport. When they need clothes or services, they walk 2 miles (3 kilometers) to the police station, volunteers said.
At O’Hare, migrants have spread out beyond the curtains for more space, sleeping along the windows. Travelers carry suitcases and airline staff board the bus, some stopping to take pictures.
Immigrants typically spend several weeks at O’Hare before being transferred to a police station or shelter. AP Photo/Erin Hooley
Chicago officials admit using O’Hare is inappropriate, but say there is no other choice with the crisis they inherited.
Cristina Pacione-Zayas, first deputy chief of staff, said Chicago is slowly building capacity to house people. The city has added 15 shelters since May and relocated about 3,000 people.
They prepare 190,000 meals each week and work with groups for medical care, but still rely heavily on volunteers to fill the gap.
“Is it perfect? Nope. But what we have done is stick to our values to ensure that we operate as a sanctuary city,” he said. “We’ll continue to work on it, but we’re holding it back.”
Other cities oppose using the airport.
At Boston’s Logan International Airport, immigrants arriving overnight are given cots for a few hours before being sent elsewhere.
Massport spokeswoman Jennifer Mehigan said Logan is “not a good place” to live.
When reports of a possible federal plan to use Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey as a shelter surfaced recently, elected officials slammed the idea.
“It’s a no-nonsense solution to the problem we have,” Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson said. “Who will protect these people? Who will feed them? Who will educate them? We really don’t have any infrastructure to take care of them.”
Jhonatan Gelvez, 21 years old from Colombia, does not plan to stay at O’Hare for long, as he has friends in Chicago.
Jhonatan Gelvez, 21, from Colombia, plans to move in with friends in Chicago after leaving O’Hare.AP Photo/Erin Hooley
She tears up when she talks about breaking up with her fiance on a trip to the U.S. Among her few possessions is a silver anchor-shaped necklace she gave him.
“Just by arriving here, I feel at peace,” he said. “It is a country with many opportunities. … I am really grateful.”
Yoli Cordova, 42, arrived at O’Hare a few days ago. He left Venezuela because he was discriminated against because of his sexual orientation.
She cried as she expressed her relief at leaving but remained worried about her daughter in Venezuela.
“I don’t know if they’re going to help me here,” Cordova said. “I really don’t know what to do, where to go.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
