Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson offered condolences to the family of a five-year-old migrant child who died of an unknown illness over the weekend at a city-operated migrant shelter. The child, Jean Carlos Martinez-Rivero, was a new arrival at a converted warehouse known as the Pilsen Shelter, which was used to house migrants.
At least three other migrants at the shelter, including two of whom are children, have also been hospitalized due to an unknown illness in recent days.
Johnson issued a statement 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.
A spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Public Health told NBC 5 Chicago an investigation to determine the cause of Rivero’s death. The spokesperson says illnesses have been reported at multiple city-operated shelters besides the Pilsen shelter on Halsted Street.
According to the Chicago Department of Public Health spokesperson, cases of varicella have been detected in recently arrived migrants, children, and adults alike. The Department has provided infection control guidance to shelter managers responsible for housing thousands of migrants currently being provided shelter by the city.
Mayor Johnson is facing increased criticism for his handling of the migrant crisis that is now plaguing cities far from the border, including Chicago. As of December 15, nearly 24,000 migrants have been bused to the city under Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star.
During a November press conference, Johnson blamed his predecessor, former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and city council members for a lack of preparedness and failing to fund the migrant crisis. Johnson also placed blame on “right-wing extremists,” telling reporters, “Everyone knows that the right-wing extremism in this country has targeted democratically run cities, and quite frankly, they have been quite intentional about going after democratically-ran cities that people of color lead. And their whole motivation is to create disruption and chaos.”
As reported by Breitbart Texas, the unstoppable flow of migrants across the southwest border has resulted in mass releases into the United States to avoid overcrowding of Border Patrol facilities. The accelerated cycle of catch and release will likely mean the burden to accommodate increased migrant arrivals will not end anytime soon.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.
