A Welcoming City: Chicago’s New Arrivals

Transparency and accountability in addressing Chicago’s forced migration crisis

Chicago has experienced an unprecedented and alarming surge of forced migration since August of 2022. Governor Abbott of Texas and other conservative leaders have sent nearly 40,000 asylum seekers to Chicago, without coordination or care for the humanity of those impacted. 

In a short period of time, forced migration from Texas has created a humanitarian crisis, which the City, community organizations, and mutual aid groups are all working to address. 

While the Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights (CIRR) does not have authority over the City’s operations regarding new arrivals, our goal is to provide transparency to the public about the City’s response to new arrivals, so that we and the public can hold the City accountable to its values. Through legislation and monthly hearings, we will continue to advocate for the City to expand its social infrastructure to provide increased resources and access for all Chicagoans, new and old, so that we can emerge from this crisis with a stronger social safety net.

New Arrivals Response

Below, you can browse information related to all government and government-funded initiatives related to the new arrivals mission.

• View the AirTable spreadsheet of government-funded initiatives in a new window.

Further information and resources:

• To access resources available to new arrivals, please visit the City’s New Arrivals Resources page.

New Arrivals Data

Each week, the Mayor’s Office updates Alders on the City’s response to new arrivals. In the spirit of transparency and accountability, the Committee for Immigrant and Refugee Rights compiles and publishes data received in those briefings on a weekly basis. The data includes the number of new arrivals (both weekly and cumulatively), their country of origin, as well as information on the shelters and landing zones.

• Review the Committee’s New Arrivals Data
• View the New Arrivals Situational Awareness Dashboard from the Mayor’s Office, for a summary of the data above.

*Please note that CIRR does not track or maintain data; the data below reflects what is shared with the Committee from the Mayor’s Office.

Below, you can see visualizations of some of the data we’ve collected.

Bussing activity

This chart reflects the number of buses that have arrived to Chicago from Texas on a weekly basis since September, 2023.

New arrival census chart

This chart reflects the number of new arrivals who are at staging areas—the temporary locations, e.g. police stations and airports, where new arrivals stay when shelters are not available—vs. new arrivals who are in the shelter system.

Map of shelter locations

Shelters, Staging Areas, and Landing Zones

Shelter Exit Data

In 2024, the Johnson Administration implemented a policy limiting new arrival shelter stays to 60 days. 60 day stays may be extended if new arrivals qualify for an exemption under certain criteria. Read the full City of Chicago Update on Limited Stay Shelter Policy.

Shelter Exits since implementation of the 60-Day Policy