Here’s how you can help asylum seekers in Chicago

Earlier this month, police sources tallied the number of migrants in all 25 police stations in the city after noticing a surge in new arrivals who didn’t have a place to go. They counted 494 individuals on May 9, 142 of whom were children.

Some police stations are more overcrowded than others. The 12th District, for example, has allowed between fifty and seventy migrants at a time, according to the Pilsen Food Pantry, which has been donating food.

When asylum seekers arrive at a police station, the officers alert the City and assign them a Service Request Number, according to the group Refugee Community Connections. The migrants will wait—usually sitting or sleeping on the floor—until a charity can transport them to a city shelter. 

Police stations are not equipped to provide human services. There is no food, hot water, nor showers, microwaves or refrigerators available. And the wait for an available bed at a shelter or a host family can be as long as ten days, volunteers said. 

In the meantime, immigration organizations, ward offices, churches, and pandemic-era mutual aid groups are stepping up to meet their immediate needs.

Helpers are primarily asking for money donations or food donations in the form of: snacks, bottled drinks, bread, fruit, sandwiches, and easy-to-handle hot food like scrambled eggs, tortillas, and rice. 

Donors are encouraged to check with each group before donating at the information below.