* Reporter for Austin TV station KXAN…

* People helping people, part one…

Chicago rapper and activist Vic Mensa was among Showtime’s “The Chi” cast members who helped feed asylum seekers waiting for shelter.

Mensa hosted two events Friday, including one across the street from a temporary migrant shelter in Wicker Park.

* Part two…

A south suburban community is trying to help asylum seekers who are now living in Chicago.

Three weeks ago, the discussions at a Markham City Council meeting focused on migrants and what people in this community could do to help them. […]

They came up with a plan to hold a community dinner, with all the proceeds donated to Chicago to help with the migrant crisis. […]

Officials said hundreds of $15 spaghetti dinners were sold before the event, with volunteers from the VFW cooking and plating the meals.

* Part three…

Large cardboard boxes full of coats, hats and gloves are tidily arranged along one wall. Volunteers are working there daily, accepting donations of socks, puffy North Face jackets, snow pants and bars of soap. When busloads of migrants are dropped off in Wilmette — where their chaperones help them catch trains to downtown Chicago to be transferred to a shelter — they are first met by volunteers at the Wilmette station and given a few essentials.

* Part four…

Among the many legal clinics that have popped up across Chicago to help newly arrived migrants, one that took place on Saturday offered a face-to-face with local labor representatives.

The legal clinic — held at the UNITE HERE Local 1 Headquarters on South Wabash Avenue in the Loop — did more than simply introduce dozens of migrants to Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) partners. The volunteers, which included attorneys and translators, helped individuals fill out the piles of legal paperwork necessary to gain Temporary Protected Status and work authorization.

* The limits of processing paperwork…

The City of Chicago began a partnership on Nov. 9 with the federal government, state government, and The Resurrection Project, a nonprofit organization, to help migrants apply for work permits so they can legally get a job. […]

That’s the good news, according to Rendón, who explained the lengthy application migrants have to fill out to be able to legally work in the U.S. First, they have to be eligible. Out of the 14,200 who are in the city’s shelters, only 3,600 qualify, according to The Resurrection Project. […]

Of the 2,722 migrants who submitted applications through the [city/state/federal] partnership, about 1,800 have been approved, and 1,011 have their documents in hand, per data from the nonprofit. That represents a significant increase from Dec. 28, when CBS 2 reported that only 279 received social security cards and 284 received work permits.

Still, only about 13% of migrants in the city’s shelters are eligible and have been approved.

* Supposedly random neighborhood resident quoted in the news media, part one (January 2023)…

Kerwin Spratt, who has lived in Woodlawn more than 20 years, said he would like the city to show the South Side residents the same respect officials are showing asylum seekers. He noted that the city’s presentation mentioned providing mental health services for asylum seekers and pointed out that the city had shuttered mental health centers across Chicago.

“You threw this upon us with no regard to us at all,” Spratt said.

* Part two (February 2023)…

Kerwin Spratt, a longtime resident who was driving by the school, said he didn’t agree with the city’s decision because of “unfair allocation of resources.”

“They’re going to provide three meals a day and a computer lab. Many schools out here don’t have that,” Spratt said. “The senior home — nobody’s giving them three meals a day.”

Just happened to be driving by.

* Part three (today)…

Kerwin Spratt has lived in Woodlawn 22 years. Wadsworth Elementary is right outside his back door. Spratt told the Crusader he’s grown weary of the migrant situation in his neighborhood.

“One night a lady resident came home and found a car parked in her spot. She asked a migrant to move their car and they busted out her windows and came into her house,” Spratt said.

“The city is pouring out resources towards non-citizens. But many of us can’t even pay our property taxes.”

* This could be interesting…

* From Isabel…

* WBBM | Chicago unions step up to help migrants obtain work permits, avoid exploitation: The legal clinic — held at the UNITE HERE Local 1 Headquarters on South Wabash Avenue in the Loop — did more than simply introduce dozens of migrants to Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) partners. The volunteers, which included attorneys and translators, helped individuals fill out the piles of legal paperwork necessary to gain Temporary Protected Status and work authorization.

* WBEZ | Tips for Chicago migrants applying for a work permit: There are two ways in which many migrants from Venezuela and a few other countries qualify for a work permit — through TPS, a program that protects people from deportation while allowing them to legally work in the U.S. Some migrants can also apply for work permits through humanitarian parole.

* Block Club | How Many People Experience Homelessness In Chicago? Annual Count Aims To Boost Services: City staffers and volunteers connected with hundreds of unhoused Chicagoans during the annual point-in-time count Thursday night. Meanwhile, thousands of migrants face homelessness as the city’s shelter stay limit approaches.

* WTTW | Pritzker and Johnson Trade Blame Over Migrant Shelter Shortfalls; Haley Sharpens Attacks on Trump: Gov. J.B. Pritzker says he’s “deeply concerned” with Chicago’s handling of the migrant crisis. The governor and Mayor Brandon Johnson publicly trade blame over the handling of housing new migrant arrivals. Meanwhile, more than a dozen Chicago City Council members call on the mayor to halt the 60-day migrant shelter eviction policy.

* WGN | Chicago native Vic Mensa, cast of ‘The Chi’ helps feed unhoused asylum seekers: Mensa hosted two events Friday, including one across the street from a temporary migrant shelter in Wicker Park. The efforts were part of the “Feed the Block, Warm the Block” initiative, which distributes meals and clothing to those in need.

* WLSAM | Alderman Bill Conway Addresses Migrant Crisis and Federal Relief Fund Spending on Steve Cochran Show: 34th Ward Alderman Bill Conway appeared on the Steve Cochran Show to talk about his proposal, which suggests that any expenditure of federal relief funds exceeding $1 million should need approval from the City Council. They also delve into whether city politics are getting in the way of solving the migrant crisis, and the advantages of offering work visas to migrants seeking employment opportunities.