Chicago Suburb Declares Emergency After Arrival of Roughly 100 Migrants

"On Thursday, a Chicago suburb declared an emergency after just over 100 migrants arrived in their town, a press release reports.

According to the press release from the local board, a few dozen migrants arrived at the Village of Oak Park, and were in need of shelter amid cold temperatures. The migrants were “primarily living outside of the Chicago Police Department’s 15th District in the nearby Austin neighborhood,” the release read.

“The Village Board authorized $150,000 in funds for asylum seekers,” the release said, citing the Oct. 30 meeting in which the amount was decided. “Last month, the Village received an additional $150,000 in the form of a Supporting Municipalities for Asylum Seeker Services (SMASS) grant from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus.”

Additionally, Village Manager Kevin J. Jackson opened an emergency operations center on Nov. 1 to help the migrants find shelter amid the lowering temperatures.

It wasn’t until Nov. 2 when the board determined that an emergency declaration was necessary in order to “provide additional aid and support to asylum seekers residing in Oak Park.”