A five-year-old boy died in a Chicago shelter that has seen an increase in hospitalization among children.
Juan Carlos Martinez was staying at the Pilsen shelter when he came down with an unspecified illness and was transported to the hospital, where he died on Sunday.
The city claimed the boy did not die from an infectious disease and said there is no evidence of an outbreak at the shelter, despite four other children being transported to the hospital, according to ABC 7 Chicago.
Martinez’s official cause of death is under investigation.
The shelter – which serves around 2,300 people – has been a destination for a growing list of medical emergencies and ill migrants with ambulances seen out front more than once.
Residents of the shelter have reportedly been asking volunteers at the locked facility for blankets, clothing, bottles, and diapers, according to Annie Gomberg, a volunteer with the city’s Police Station Response Team who has been working with migrants since April.
“The shelters are completely locked down to outside access. They’re doing this allegedly in order to protect the residents inside,” Gomberg said.
But Gomberg suspects the restrictions are meant to keep the public blind to how the shelter is being run.
Like many other major cities across the US, Chicago has been plagued with an overwhelming number of migrants seeking shelter. Nearly 26,000 newcomers have arrived in the Windy City since August 2022, being housed in 27 temporary shelters, according to the mayor’s office.
In addition, the city has spent nearly $140 million on migrants. As the harsh Chicago winter settles in, the city has begun ticketing busing companies that are bringing migrants from Southern states, like Texas and Florida.
“The inhumane treatment further endangers the safety and security of asylum seekers, and adds additional strain to city departments, volunteers and mutual aid partners tasked with easing what is already a harsh transition,” a statement from the city said.
Chicago residents are fed up with the influx of migrants, with former mayoral candidate Ja’mal Green saying the city needs to stop taking in migrants.
“The city, at the moment, should put a cap on the amount of migrants that we’re taking in. We should not be taking any more migrants in when we know we can’t take care of them,” he said at a news conference, according to ABC 7. “Governor JB Pritzker needs to step in.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson highlighted concerns that the migrants are “showing up sick.”
“I want you to hear me good, they’re showing up sick. Do you hear me, right? They’re showing up sick,” he said at a press conference.
Pilsen’s shelter will be receiving painkillers and fever reducers, according to volunteer Erika Villegas.
Many migrants have said illness is spreading quickly and some have said they do not have access to medical care, but the city denies this.
“Public health screenings are provided to all new arrivals to identify individuals with acute medical conditions or emergencies that should be directed to an emergency room,” the city said in a statement to ABC 7. “Once placed at a City shelter, all new arrivals are offered opt-in transportation to Cook County Health (CCH) for a medical intake or a sick visit.”
The city also said the Chicago Department of Public Health “funds healthcare partners to go onsite to shelters weekly to provide shelter-based care to individuals who might not have plans to go [to] CCH.”
