Dear Reader, 

We began putting together this special insert in September 2023, a year after Texas began busing migrants to Chicago on August 31, 2022. Since August 2022, over 35,000 migrants have been brought to Chicago, and the city has piloted a myriad of programs designed to support its newest inhabitants. Alongside city efforts, community groups, religious institutions, and everyday Chicagoans have aided migrants’ transition to the city, including in Hyde Park. In many ways, the local and University member responses to the increasing migrant population are stories of existing communities seeking to help their new neighbors.

In this special insert, the Maroon explores the University’s and University members’ relationships with recent Chicago migrants. In particular, we ask: How has the University reacted in the past to migrant communities seeking assistance in our neighborhood? How is the University supporting migrant communities? Does the University have an obligation to help migrants? These questions and more inform our reporting.

You will find a timeline on the Chicago migrant influx within Hyde Park, reporting on previous University-migrant interactions and policies, stories of doctors facilitating spaces of exchange and law students putting their expertise into practice to advocate for migrants, an op-ed on the University’s responsibility in this migrant influx, and data visualizations on shelter capacity by region and shelter locations throughout the City.

The Maroon’s coverage is far from exhaustive. Rather, we seek to shed light on a small portion of a broader situation. Thank you for clicking this link; we hope you learn more about our ever-expanding community.

Kayla Rubenstein, Co-Editor-in-Chief

Elena Eisenstadt, Grey City Editor