Migrants arriving in Chicago are more than just a number. Here are some of their stories
CHICAGO — The buses filled with migrants from the Texas border continue to arrive in Chicago, but it’s easy to forget that people are on those buses, people with stories often overshadowed by politics and conversation around the flawed immigration system in America, or by the desperate need to find shelter, warm food and clean clothes for the new arrivals.
Nearly 4,000 migrants arrived in the city directly from Texas on the buses sent by Gov. Greg Abbott, according to city officials, but many more refugee seekers — mainly from Venezuela — have also been coming, on their own, to the promise of safety and job opportunities in Chicago.
Without any governmental help, a small house of worship on Division Avenue, Adalberto Memorial United Methodist Church, has turned into a temporary shelter that has housed nearly 100 migrants. Many have transitioned into more permanent housing and found jobs, establishing a network within the group to lend each other a hand in their new home, Chicago.
At the church, the migrants share their journeys, fears, and dreams. As some move out, others make room for new arrivals by cleaning up the sleeping areas in between church pews. And during Sunday service, everyone — those who have transitioned out and those who recently arrived — is invited to have lunch together.
“They are creating a new home, we give God thanks for their new home,” said Jacobita Cortes, the church’s pastor.
Beyond the new reality that the migrants face and the story of their desperate need to flee their home countries to undergo a journey north where most are now homeless,
