Chicago police stations have become makeshift shelters for migrants and those seeking asylum, according to sources from Fox News.
At least two precinct lobbies have become the bedrooms for foreign migrants, sources told the outlet, with some of the people even pictured hanging out in one policeman’s office watching television.
Police officials, while having sympathy for the migrants, reportedly believe the overflow is a fallout of a nationwide immigration crisis.
“This is a dangerous situation that arose from their ridiculous sanctuary city policy,” a source told Fox News. “They clearly do not have a plan to deal with it, and they’re placing the cops once again in undue risk.”
Chicago has been a sanctuary city for more than five years, which preceded outgoing Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s reign.
A source described migrants’ babies and children as present at the stations, while another remarked that there was an 11-year-old girl by herself.
“A couple of weeks ago there was a Venezuelan family who is sitting on the floor next to homeless people with a baby. I gave them twenty bucks and I asked my team to give them money as well,” a source said.
“Yesterday when I left, there was an eleven-year-old girl sitting on the floor by herself,” said another. “Literally if any of these young girls walk out there, they will be targeted,” they added.
Another source reported that they walked past human feces on their way to work.
A Chicago city spokesperson told Fox News that police stations are not labeled or treated as shelters, but says the city “commend[s] the Chicago Police officers for playing an integral part in our mission to coordinate safe passage for all new arrivals.”
Similar problems have popped up in Boston, where dozens of migrants have made overnight stays at a hospital in the city.
“Families have stayed overnight in our lobby or overflow areas because they have nowhere to go, and we provide transportation to housing agencies the next morning so they can apply for housing when the agencies reopen,” a hospital spokesperson said.
In the first four months of 2023, more than 400 families, mostly from Haiti, had stayed in the facility overnight, according to the hospital official.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!