Chicago officials have signed a nearly $30 million contract with a private security firm to relocate migrants seeking asylum from police stations and the city’s two airports to winterized camps with massive tents before cold weather arrives.
It does not identify the specific sites for the camps and none have been chosen, said Johnson’s press secretary, Ronnie Reese. The contract also makes no mention of a specific timetable for erecting the tents.
“It’s got to be done pretty quickly if it’s gonna get done before the weather breaks,” Reese told the. “The goal is to decompress the police stations as soon as possible. We know that’s not sustainable.” Earlier this month, Johnson’s team noted that Chicago’s migrant expenditures could reach $302 million by the end of the year when factoring in the costs of the new tent encampment sites.
Most of Chicago’s 14,000 migrants who have arrived seeking asylum since August 2022 have come from Texas, some under the direction of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. The contract with GardaWorld reveals some specifics about the tents that will be used, including soft-material “yurt” structures that would each fit 12 cots and be outfitted with fire extinguishers and portable restrooms with makeshift kitchens to be set up nearby.