>>> CHICAGO OFFICIALS SAY THE CITY HAS WELCOMED A BUS FULL OF MIGRANTS EVERY DAY SINCE THE BEGINNING OF JULY, MAKING UP ALMOST 12,000 PEOPLE.

HUNDREDS OF MIGRANTS, MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN REMAIN BEHIND POLICE STATION DOORS COME DESPITE EFFORTS TO MOVE THEM INTO SHELTERS.

CITY OFFICIALS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS ARE WORKING TO FEED, CLOTHE, AND CARE FOR THE MIGRANTS WHILE ALSO FINDING PERMANENT HOUSING.

HERE TO DISCUSS THE PLAN IS CHICAGO'S DEPUTY MAYOR OF IMMIGRANTS RIGHTS, PRIOR TO THIS, HE WAS WORKING FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

>> THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY.

>> THEY WERE BEING RELOCATED TO THE BROADWAY ARMORY, FOLLOWING PROTEST, WHAT TIMELINE DOES THE CITY HAVE FOR THOSE WHO WERE WORKING ON FINDING PERMANENT HOUSING?

>> WE ARE WORKING ACROSS THE CITY TO EXPAND, LOOKING FIRST AND FOREMOST AT PROPERTIES IN THE NORTH.

POLICE STATIONS ARE A TEMPORARY PLACE.

THE BEST THING IS TO HAVE SOMETHING INDIVIDUAL .

THE RESOURCES CAN HELP PUT THEM IN TOUCH WITH WHAT THEY NEED.

IT IS ALL HANDS ON DECK.

WE ARE DOING OUR BEST TO MOVE PEOPLE.

>> MANY PEOPLE ARE CITING THE SLOW PROCESS.

WE WERE REPORTING LAST WEEK, STILL SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE SLEEPING IN POLICE STATIONS.

WHAT CHALLENGES IS YOUR OFFICE UP AGAINST AND WHAT ARE THE DELAYS?

>> REALLY, THE CHALLENGES ARE TREMENDOUS.

THIS IS A HUMANITARIAN CRISIS.

WE WELCOMED OVER 12,000 PEOPLE THIS PAST YEAR.

WE ARE COMING UP TO THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF WHEN THE FIRST BUS ARRIVED.

THEY ARE BEING SENT BY THE GOVERNOR OF TEXAS.

WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE BUSES ARRIVING AT THE DOORSTEP OF CHICAGO.

WE ARE A WELCOMING CITY.

WE ARE DOING OUR BEST TO WELCOME OUR NEW NEIGHBORS , SO THAT WE CAN GET THEM RESETTLED WITHIN THE CITY.

WE HAVE ABOUT 5900 INDIVIDUALS IN OUR CITY SHELTERS.

EVERY DAY, A NEW BUS ARRIVED.

I WANTED TO GIVE YOU SOME CONTEXT.

FROM JANUARY UNTIL NOW, WE HAVE HAD 77 BUSES.

OF THOSE 77 , 59 ARRIVED SINCE MAY WHEN THIS ADMINISTRATION TOOK OVER.

AS YOU NOTED , IT HAS BEEN ABOUT ONE PER DAY SINCE JULY.

ON ANY GIVEN BUS, WE HAVE 40 TO 50 INDIVIDUALS, MANY ARE FAMILIES.

AS SOON AS THEY ARRIVE, WE MOVE THEM INTO THE POLICE STATION AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN.

WE HAVE VETTED OVER 200 LOCATIONS FOR POSSIBLE SHELTERS ON CITY-OWNED PROPERTIES.

WE ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR MORE.

THE SOONER WE CAN OPEN MORE SHELTERS ACROSS THE CITY, THE FASTER WE WILL BE ABLE TO MOVE FAMILIES INTO THOSE SHELTERS.

YES.

>> I WANTED TO ASK, YOU MENTIONED VETTING OVER 200 LOCATIONS.

GIVE US SOME SENSE OF WHAT THE LOCATIONS ARE, CITY COLLEGES ?

HAVE THOSE STUDENTS HAD TO BE SHIFTED BECAUSE OF THE RETURN TO SCHOOL?

>> THAT IS CORRECT.

WE ARE LOOKING AT PROPERTIES THAT INCLUDE PARKS, CITY COLLEGES, AND SOME OF OUR UNUSED OR CLOSED SCHOOLS.

IN ADDITION, WE ARE LOOKING AT PROPERTIES, FOR EXAMPLE NURSING HOMES OR JUST LOCATIONS WHERE WE CAN HAVE AT LEAST 200 TO 250 PEOPLE.

NOT ALL LOCATIONS, THE MAJORITY, THE VAST MAJORITY, ARE NOT VIABLE OPTIONS.

THEY NEED TO HAVE ADEQUATE PLUMBING AND BATHROOM SPACE, AND THE ABILITY TO SET UP SHOWERS, MOBILE SHOWERS, AND TO BE ABLE TO DESIGNATE SOME COMMON AREAS.

AS WE LOOK AT THOSE PLACES THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WE HAVE A TEAM TO THAT THEM THEN AND WE HAVE BEEN SEEING IF WE CAN ULTIMATELY USE THEM AS SHELTERS.

>> YOU ARE THE FIRST PERSON TO CARRY THIS, AS DEPUTY MAYOR, IS THIS CRISIS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE HAVE SEEN PREVIOUSLY?

>> I ANTICIPATE THAT CHICAGO HAS ALWAYS BEEN A CITY OF IMMIGRANTS, TO HAVE A DESIGNATED MAYOR IN THIS ROLE AT THE MOMENT IS CRITICAL.

IT IS TO HELP BRING STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP AND GUIDANCE IN OUR OPERATION, BRINGING TOGETHER THE DIFFERENT TEAMS THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE.

WE PARTNER VERY CLOSELY WITH OEMC AND OTHER CITY AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS.

MY ROLE WILL BE TO HELP STRATEGIES, LONGER-TERM, WITH THOSE ORGANIZATIONS AND AGENCIES, AND PARTNERS, AS WELL AS WITH OTHERS IN THE MAYOR'S OFFICE.

LONG-TERM, THIS IS ABOUT LIVING OUR VISION OF BEING A WELCOMING CITY.

WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR OUR CITY AGENCIES AND DEPARTMENTS, WHO HAVE MADE THE WELCOMING CITY AN ORDINANCE?

AND WHAT CAN BE DONE WITHIN PHILANTHROPY, BUSINESS, AND THE LONG-TERM ACTIVITIES AND PROCESSES , AND DIFFERENT SECTORS WITHIN CHICAGO.

I AM EXCITED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP LEAD THAT.

WE WANT TO WORK WITH THE CITY AND CREATE A HUB OF INFORMATION THAT OTHERS CAN TURN TO IN CHICAGO.

>> THERE IS ALSO THE LONG WORK PERMIT PROCESS FOR THE NEW ARRIVALS.

WHAT ECONOMIC BARRIERS ARE THERE AND HOW CAN THOSE BE ADDRESSED?

THE CITY HAS GIVEN OUT SIX MONTHS OF RENTAL ASSISTANCE FOR MIGRANTS.

GIVE ME A LONG-TERM SENSE OF HOW THINGS ARE GOING TO GO.

>> SO, THE RENTAL ASSISTANCE HAS BEEN A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE CITY AND THE STATE AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THAT.

IT IS ON A PATH TO HELP PEOPLE IN RESETTLEMENT EFFORTS.

WE KNOW THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THAT.

FOR THE TIME BEING, THAT IS PART OF THE PLAN, IN TERMS OF GETTING PEOPLE RESETTLED.

CREATING THE PIPELINE OF MOVEMENT, THAT IS SOMETHING WE ARE STILL LOOKING AT STRATEGIES FOR , TO SUPPORT IMMIGRANTS AS THEY MOVE OUT AND BECOME SELF-SUFFICIENT.

AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL , WE ARE WORKING TO SEE WHAT TYPES OF ACTIVITIES CAN TAKE PLACE FEDERALLY.

THIS IS NOT A LOCAL ISSUE ONLY.

AND WE HAVE TO RESPOND, HANDS-ON , AS CHICAGO AND OTHER CITIES HAVE , WE ARE LOOKING FOR OTHERS TO STEP IN AND HELP SUPPORT THESE EFFORTS.

>> A FEW SECONDS LEFT , ASIDE FROM MANAGING THIS IMMEDIATE CRISIS, WHAT ARE OTHER ISSUES THAT ARE IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO DRESS, AS PART OF YOUR POSITION?

>> I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO PARTNERING WITH SO MANY COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO REVIEW POLICIES AND ADVOCATE FOR IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES.

WE ARE LOOKING THROUGH A BACKLOG OF IMMIGRATION PROCESSES.

WE ARE LOOKING NATIONALLY, AS WELL, AT WHAT OTHER NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ARE DOING.

I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE THIS GOAL AND THIS OFFICE TO TAKE THIS APPROACH TO ADVOCATING FOR INDIVIDUALS RELOCATING IN