City says migrants moving from High Ridge YMCA to Daley College; details unclear

The city of Chicago plans to bus hundreds of asylum seekers from a North Side shelter to a South Side community college on Sunday.

But Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has been unclear about the reasoning behind the transfer, according to the local City Council member, who said she has been kept in the dark about plans.

The migrants potentially being moved have been staying at the High Ridge YMCA, 2424 W. Touhy Ave. On Friday, the mayor’s office announced migrants would be moved from there to Daley College in West Lawn, which is in the ward of Ald. Jeylu Gutierrez (14th).

But on Sunday, Gutierrez said she still hasn’t been told when the migrants will be moved from the YMCA to Daley College, at 76th Street and Pulaski Road.

She was told on Friday by the mayor’s office that the plan was to move migrants on Sunday, but the mayor’s office was unclear about exactly who was to be moved, or when it would happen.

”The mayor’s office wanted me to welcome them (at Daley College today), but I don’t have the details,” she said Sunday morning. “They said families (would be moved), they said singles. I don’t know what’s going on. ... We need answers.”

After TV news reports Friday about migrant families” uncomfortable with leaving the YMCA and the connections they’ve made in the neighborhood, Johnson’s administration released a statement at 5 p.m. saying the bussing of 400 migrants would be delayed until Sunday.

“After careful consideration of the impact this would have on asylum seeking families and the overall mission, and to provide more time for planning by the receiving community, the City has decided to reschedule moving migrant families from High Ridge YMCA to Daley College to Sunday,” Johnson said in the statement released 5 p.m. Friday.

Johnson’s office said the goal was to relieve pressure from Chicago police district stations that have been housing migrants. Relocated migrants would also be able offered services offered by Chicago Public Schools at Hurley Elementary, and receive the same services they currently receive that are offered at all other city shelters.

“The Daley College community has been very welcoming to the new arrivals already in residence, and our administration is certain it will provide a warm welcome to these families as well,” Johnson’s statement said.

During a community meeting last week, Gutierrez was told that families would be given a priority to move into Daley College, which she said the city will use as a temporary shelter until Aug. 1.

The city began using the college as a shelter in early June, following a contentious community meeting where residents were torn between supporting the asylum seekers.

High Ridge YMCA was closed permanently in January 2021.

The mayor’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Gutierrez said the mayor’s office is “trying their best,” adding: “I’m hopeful this weekend everything will be resolved.”