CHICAGO — Since Texas Gov. Greg Abbott began busing migrants to Chicago in August 2022, asylum-seekers have transformed the fabric of the city and beyond. More than 47,200 — mostly from Venezuela — have passed through Chicagoland and tens of thousands have settled here.
Local officials have opened up over 20 buildings to temporarily house them and spent hundreds of millions of dollars. They’ve watched their hospitals, schools and food pantries fill with record numbers of people. Abbott did not produce the migrant crisis over the past two years, but he magnified it, forcing Democrats to reshape their party’s thinking about welcoming immigration promises.
Today, driven by a June executive order issued by President Joe Biden, buses are no longer arriving in Chicago at the same rates as in 2023. The crisis that officials have long grappled with is entering a new phase. Migrants have lived through four seasons in the city.
They’re moving into neighborhoods. Some are even coming to the city on their own, hearing it’s a good place to live. “Our job is creating long-term community connections for these families,” said Matt DeMatteo, executive director and pastor at New Life Centers, a nonprofit organization helping migrants in collaboration with the city and state.
“A beautiful tapestry of spaces and places.” Indeed, while some migrants have found stability through jobs and a community, many others are still trying to survive as they live in challenging conditio.