Hi everyone. I am making this post on behalf of the various migrant-aid efforts across the city of Chicago. Before some of you start - yes, I'm using my mod powers to highlight this cause. There was a time when this sub fostered a sense of community and connected Chicagoans in the common good. So maybe one post like that is ok in a sea of 10M horny posts.

I myself am involved in the 20th Police District, but the need for volunteers and all manner of assistance is present in all 25 districts. To give you some context on what I’m talking about:

The Current Migrant Crisis

Since August of 2022, the governors of southern states - namely, Greg Abbot from Texas - have been bussing migrants from our borders to “sanctuary cities” like Chicago and NYC. These governors feel that northern states should share in the burden of receiving these folks, but do so by telling asylum seekers that there is food and jobs waiting for them here in the north and making them sign liability waivers before being unceremoniously put onto a bus and dumped in front of Chicago police stations.

What This Means For Chicago

As I mentioned, there are 25 police districts/stations spread through Chicago where migrants are being dropped off. It’s a mix of men, women, and children of all ages, 0-100. These are just everyday normal police stations - there’s no space or resources in them, usually just one bathroom and no spots to plug in or store anything. Migrants come in and sit down on the lobby floors and wait for placement in a respite center/shelter somewhere in the city - where resources are already stretched thin serving existing populations.

In the beginning, we were fielding 25-40 new people a week and now we’re seeing 50-100 migrants coming in on busses per day. These folks stay on average about 2 weeks, but there are instances where families have been at a station for 3 months. When the city moves them to a shelter there is no notice or timeline so we’re left flailing to manage this transition and getting the station ready for the next group. It’s gone from “manageable” to “dire” very quickly.

Aside from the floors they sit on, the city doesn’t provide much else. Currently, we’ve just gotten support for lunch and dinner - but literally every single other thing comes from volunteers. Breakfast, clothing, water, hygiene items, bedding, laundry, translation services, medical care, legal aid, showers, sorting, storage, etc etc - all come from the efforts of folks in these neighborhoods willing to give their time, money, and any effort to giving our new neighbors a modest sense of care and human decency.

In the 20th district, we’re considered “lucky”, we have a few consistent volunteers stepping up and doing the most they can considering they’re largely retirees, stay-at-home moms, and kind folks who fit this work in around their schedules. But we’re struggling to provide meals, water, and sanitation services - literally the bare minimum. In other districts, they simply go without as people starve and shiver while hoping that something changes.

All of this is to say - WE NEED YOUR HELP

We are in desperate need of able-bodied Chicagoans to understand that a real humanitarian crisis is happening right in their neighborhoods. Every district more or less has had a community organization spring up to fill the needs and they are in dire need of volunteers to provide essential services. But with winter approaching and the city moving at a snail's pace, we need able bodies and compassionate folks to bolster our ranks and help our new neighbors get through this.

How You Can Get Involved

This is a map of where all the Chicago police district housing migrants are - most of them have a link to the local group or lead heading any effort that might exist. Across the board, the most crucial need is providing hot breakfast and water, along with sorting/organization of donations, and making sure that the right resources get to where they are needed. But other areas that we need help are:

• Collecting, organizing, and sorting inventory.
• Coordinating and vetting volunteers.
• Offering medical, transportation, translation, or legal aid services.
• Cooking and serving meals once a week.
• Organizing clothing drives or procuring essential items.

For the 20th District Migrant Aid group, we’ve set up a Discord server where we coordinate and try to keep things as organized as possible. But we need more hands, especially ones that are available with some consistency.

Going through THIS FORM plugs you into the city-wide list for volunteers and helps us put you in touch with your local migrant aid group. If you’re in the 20th District, our website will point you to the various sign-ups and resources you need to get started.

Please, please, please sign up to help if you have the ability to do so. Even if it’s just one afternoon, even if it’s just for our emergency response teams. Everything helps. These folks are fleeing war and famine, crossing jungles and deserts in flip-flops, and carrying their children on their backs. They’re immensely grateful that anyone at all cares about them.

This is an opportunity for us to be the best of what humanity can be and the best of what a Chicagoan can be in this diverse city of ours.

Tl;dr Links

Chicago police district map

Chicago migrant aid volunteer form

20th District Migrant Aid group

I don't have all the answers and don't want to get too political here, but I am happy to respond if you have a sensible question or point you to the right resources.

Sincerely; thank you.