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As Winter Looms, Venezuelan Migrant Surge Overwhelms Chicago

“We don’t have any place for them to go,” said Cristina Pacione-Zayas, deputy chief of staff for Mayor Brandon Johnson. “We are scrambling.”

"Yureibi Olivo, a mother of four who arrived in Chicago this summer, said she was already glad her family had taken the great risk to leave. She is among the lucky few who secured beds at a temporary shelter in a downtown hotel.

Olivo, 45, has been selling arepas, stuffed cornmeal cakes, on the streets, where she pulls in around $60 a day. Back home, working two jobs — one as a street sweeper and one preparing government-subsidized meals — would earn her that amount in three months, she said.

“Being here is a privilege,” Olivo said. “God gave us an opportunity, and the government here has opened the door.”