The construction of a large tent camp being created by the city of Chicago as a ‘winter base camp’ for illegal immigrants from Central and South America transported from the southern border area is facing difficulties.
According to Chicago media on the 4th, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (58, Democratic) ordered a temporary halt to the construction of a ‘tent village for migrants to spend the winter’ being built in Brighton Park, south of Chicago.
After Illinois environmental authorities raised concerns after the city of Chicago disclosed on the 2nd that toxic heavy metals were detected in the soil of the tent village construction site, which was a former factory area, through an 800-page ‘Site Environmental Assessment Report’, Pritzker This is a decision the governor made on a whim.
WGN Broadcasting pointed out, “Despite the various concerns raised by residents and community leaders in the area, the city authorities ignored them and pushed ahead with construction.”
Governor Pritzker’s office said, “State environmental officials plan to speak with Chicago environmental officials and environmental assessment providers.”
The city of Chicago said in a report, “Mercury exceeding the allowable standard was detected in soil samples from the construction site,” and “soil near the sample collection point was removed and properly disposed of in an external landfill.” He added, “It has also been confirmed that the soil at another location is contaminated with a high concentration of semi-volatile compounds, so we plan to soon carry out removal work and dispose of it.”
The city of Chicago said, “In order to resolve other contaminant issues, we will lay clean crushed stone at least 15 cm thick across the entire tent site, which is approximately 40,000 square meters in size, and ensure that the minimum thickness is maintained through regular inspections.” He added, “Contaminated soil will be removed.” He argued, “If an ‘engineered barrier’ is installed, there will be no problem using the site as a temporary residence.”
However, Governor Pritzker’s office said, “A review by the state Department of Environmental Quality is necessary. We have decided to halt construction until the governor and state environmental officials complete further discussions.”
This very large tent village is located in Chicago, which promotes itself as a ‘sanctuary city’ (city protecting illegal immigrants) and is having difficulty providing accommodations for the 25,000 illegal immigrants from Central and South America who have been rapidly flowing in since August of last year and are still staying at police stations and airport lobbies. The goal was to move about 2,000 people to a ‘safe’ place before the temperature drops further.
The city of Chicago signed a $29.3 million contract with the private company Garda World last September and proceeded with construction, but local residents raised concerns about waste of taxpayer money, safety concerns for residents, and soil contamination issues. They have opposed the creation of tent villages, pointing out the following.
As the conflict between city authorities and residents intensified over the issue of creating a detention centre for illegal immigrants, some residents sued Mayor Johnson and the authorities on charges of violating the ‘Land Use Designation Act’.
As the announcement of the environmental assessment report was delayed amid controversy, city authorities moved construction materials to the site on the 28th of last month and began construction on the 29th. The goal was for completion by mid-month.