State to temporarily house hundreds of Chicago migrants in hotels as crisis continues

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The State of Illinois said it will pay for hotel rooms to temporarily house hundreds of migrants as more asylum-seekers arrive in Chicago.

The state is temporarily standing up hotel rooms for up to 200 new arrivals at the City of Chicago's request.

The state said it made around 30 hotel rooms available Saturday night with the remaining hotel rooms for up to 200 people coming online on Sunday. The Illinois Department of Human Services is working with the City of Chicago to identify hotel spaces, and the city is providing transportation.

Those in hotels will be moved to a former CVS in Little Village when construction of that shelter is completed in January, the state said. Additional shelter sites are also being explored.

Funding for the hotels will come from the additional $160 million Gov. JB Pritzker announced in November to help with the ongoing migrant crisis after over 30,000 asylum-seekers arrived in Illinois.

"IDHS continues to welcome our new neighbors with support services and assistance with work-permit applications, which will ultimately hasten their journey to self-sufficiency," said Dulce Quintero, IDHS Secretary Designate.

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This comes after, the state said, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has sent an "unprecedented" number of asylum-seekers to Illinois in recent days "with no coordination or advanced notice."

Meanwhile, at least three migrant buses have arrived in Chicago's suburbs this weekend.

Two buses arrived in Elmhurst, according to the police department there, and another arrived in Fox River Grove, the village reported.

Chicago officials said they expect at least four migrant buses to arrive in the city on Sunday.