Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago expressed his condolences to the family of five-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez-Rivero, who passed away due to an unknown illness over the weekend while staying at a city-operated migrant shelter.
He had recently arrived at the Pilsen Shelter, a converted warehouse used for housing migrants.
Additionally, three other individuals in the shelter – two of whom are children – have been hospitalized in recent days for reasons related to an unknown illness.
Johnson stated on Monday saying, “We are saddened at the tragic death of 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez, who was living in the temporary shelter at 2241 S. Halsted Street.
Initial reports indicate that the child was suffering from a medical emergency and passed away shortly after arriving to Comer Children’s Hospital.”
The mayor added, “City officials are providing support to the family and are still gathering information on this tragedy. We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
According to an NBC 5 Chicago report, the other migrants currently hospitalized are a one-year-old girl, a four-year-old girl, and an 18-year-old woman hospitalized early Monday, Chicago Fire Department officials stated.
The Chicago Department of Public Health has launched an investigation to identify the cause of death for Rivero.
Multiple city-operated shelters, including the one located on Halsted Street in Pilsen, have reported illnesses among recently arrived migrants, children and adults alike.
In response, the Department has provided infection control guidance to shelter managers responsible for accommodating thousands of migrants currently being sheltered by the City.
As Mayor Johnson faces increasing criticism for his handling of this migrant crisis that is affecting cities across the nation, an estimated 24,000 individuals have been bused into Chicago under Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star initiative as of December 15th.
At a November press conference, Johnson attributed the lack of preparedness and inadequate funding to address the migrant crisis to his predecessor, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and city council members.
He further asserted that “right-wing extremists” have targeted democratically-run cities with people of color in leadership roles with the goal of causing disruption and chaos.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the relentless influx of migrants across the Southwest border has caused a need to release individuals into the United States in order to prevent overcrowding at Border Patrol facilities.
This cycle of apprehension and release is likely to continue, placing an ongoing burden on agencies tasked with accommodating increased migrant arrivals.
