Updates on Support for Asylum Seekers 📢

Dear Neighbor,

I’m reaching out to wish you a reflective Juneteenth, in celebration of the end of slavery and the liberation of Black Americans at the close of the Civil War. In observance of this state holiday, our district office will be closed today, Monday, June 19th. 

I also want to provide updates on asylum seekers and migrants arriving in Chicago. As of June, nearly 11,000 men, women, and children from Venezuela and from countries from Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Middle East have arrived in Chicago. New arrivals are currently staying in temporary shelters or awaiting shelter placement in police stations across the city. 

Those at the city, state, and county government levels, community organizations, faith communities, and mutual aid efforts have mobilized to meet the needs of and welcome migrants with compassion, dignity, and respect. The federal government recently directed a combined $8.5 million to support migrants in Chicago and the state of Illinois. And as I mentioned in our recent newsletter about the budget, the state directed $42.5 million specifically for asylum seekers, and over $200 million for unhoused Illinoisans more generally, for this coming fiscal year.

Thank you to everyone who has donated supplies to help welcome our new neighbors! We are in the process of working with local mutual aids to get all donations distributed.

While our district office is temporarily pausing accepting donations, Instituto del Progreso Latino continues to accept monetary donations to purchase items for new arrivals. You can donate through their website by visiting https://www.institutochicago.org/. If you have more specific questions regarding donations or want to donate items more locally, please feel free to call our office at (773) 853-2570 or email us at will@repguzzardi.com.

Thank you so much to the dozens of neighbors who have made donations at our office over the last several weeks. I’m very proud to represent a community that cares so deeply about the wellbeing of everyone — both our longtime neighbors and the newest arrivals to our city.

Sincerely,

Will