19th Ward Mutual Aid Responds To Migrant Humanitarian Crisis

CHICAGO — Since May, the 19th Ward Mutual Aid group has led by example in responding to the migrant humanitarian crisis that has made its way from our country’s borders to our backyards by bus.

Although this work has been unpaid, it has not been free. It requires financial, physical and emotional resources. The 19th Ward Mutual Aid group is requesting the community's help to provide support.

As of Tuesday, 156 migrants are currently sheltering at the Chicago 22nd District police station, of which 50 are children. Last week the number 179 trimmed back to 58, when many were sent to permanent shelters.

“We’re back up to 156,” 19th Ward Mutual Aid member Tim Noonan told Patch. “The buses kept coming and coming. We have no indication when they will show up. They just show up and we go into action.”

Each time another bus arrives in the neighborhood, volunteers need to start over again handing out clothing, personal care items and air mattresses to the new arrivals.

“Both my parents are from Ireland so the immigrant experience is something I’m very attuned to,” Noonan said. “They could be my family showing up at police stations seeking help. It’s best to try and do what you can.”

Noonan said that 95 percent of the migrants are fleeing from corruption and economic turmoil in Venezuela. They have identified themselves to federal authorities as asylum seekers. The migrants are initially brought to Chicago police stations to decompress.

Among the migrants sheltering at the 22nd District police station, there are 17 tents housing families in the Edna White Community Garden.

With months of experience under their belts, the 19th Ward Mutual Aid volunteers know what is needed to best serve the families staying at the 22nd District. They are seeking “strategic donations” including:

• Tents, stakes and tarps
• Sleeping pads (yoga mats, air mattresses, camping mattresses)
• Sleeping bags
• Blankets and pillows
• Bath towels
• Outdoor tents
• Air mattresses patch kids, air mattress pumps
• Fitted and flat sheets

Last week, the group purchased 200 air mattresses, along with a dozen tents. 19th Ward Mutual Aid has paid for prescription drugs and over the counter medications for weekly health clinics every Saturday. Members have also provided the asylum seekers with new socks, underwear and bras to the migrants.

When it’s time to move on from the police station, the migrants insist on taking the air mattresses with them, even though a bed is waiting for them in a more permanent shelter.

“Many don’t know where they’re going or if they’re going to be sleeping on concrete,” Noonan said. “Given the trauma they’ve gone through, we just let them take the mattresses.”

Most of all, 19th Ward Mutual Aid needs volunteers to assist in all areas, including but not limited to meals, donations (sourcing, organizing, cleaning, distributing),
interpreting/translating, transportation and providing medical and mental health services, To make a donation or to volunteer, email info@19aid.com

The 19th Ward Mutual Aid group began in May 2020 to address the needs of neighbors that were left behind in the pandemic. Volunteers reached out food sources to establish a food pantry at Morgan Park Presbyterian Church, no questions asked. The pantry fed nearly 20,000 people in over 60 weeks.

“We operate on a basis of neighbors helping neighbors,” Noonan said. “[The migrants] are our neighbors today."