Chicago will start to build an immigrant tent camp in Brighton Park this week after construction was stalled over chemical contamination and protesters staging multiple rallies at the site.
On Tuesday, workers will start to lay down materials and take measurements for the construction process, according to Ronnie Reese, spokesman for Mayor Brandon Johnson.
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Local Alderwoman Julia Ramirez for the 12th Ward said this weekend that Johnson’s office informed her construction on the tent camp would begin Monday. However, the city said building would start at a later date, noting the equipment for the work at the site would be delivered Monday and first steps would take place Tuesday.
Last month, the city of Chicago signed a land use contract with the owners of a vacant lot in Southwest Side’s Brighton Park neighborhood to build the first immigrant tents in the city. Ramirez, a Democrat, opposed the deal, saying it was agreed upon without informing the community.
Since the city signed the contract, neighborhood residents in Roseland and Brighton Park have clashed with Chicago officials, protesting the tent camp at 38th Street and California Avenue, which is expected to house 2,000 immigrants. Last month, Ramirez and an aide were battered by protesters during a demonstration against plans for the immigrant tent camp. Ramirez called the experience “disappointing” in a press statement and said “the protesters did not want to engage in a peaceful dialogue” with her.
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Other concerns have been raised regarding the land’s long history of industrial use and the health threats potentially contaminated soil may pose to the immigrants. City officials performed environmental tests on the land and said it appears to be usable for the camp, while Ramirez said last week City Hall plans to clean up heavy metal contamination.
More than 3,000 immigrants are living in police stations across the city and at O’Hare International Airport, with over 12,000 immigrants living in the city's 26 active shelters as of this week. Since August 2022, over 20,000 immigrants have arrived in Chicago, largely from Gov. Greg Abbott's (R-TX) immigrant busing program, according to city data.