This week Chicago will begin enforcing a policy to evict migrants after they have stayed in city shelters for 60 days.

The Johnson administration announced the policy in November. It’s been postponed three times since January when evictions were first set to begin.

As of March 11, there were 11,451 migrants staying in Chicago shelters, down from a peak of nearly 15,000 in January.

The city has not said how many people will be evicted, but the mayor revealed last week there are no plans to extend the deadline for a fourth time.

Ahead of the deadline, Reset dove into what we know — and what we don’t.

What happens to people who are kicked out?

Migrants will be able to request another shelter spot at Chicago’s designated “landing zone” at 800 S. Desplaines St, according to the city. That’s also where migrants are routed when they first arrive in Chicago.

New York has enforced a similar policy, leading some people to wait in line for days as they tried to reapply for shelter. We still don’t have details on how the process will work in Chicago.

What resources do people receive before they are evicted?

Case managers are supposed to help connect migrants with housing. In late January, the city said it would begin implementing check-ins with case managers two weeks after migrants arrive in a shelter and two weeks before they are set to exit, to see whether they need an extension of their stay.

Those steps are not enough, said Lydia Wong, a volunteer for ChiWelcome, a grassroots network that connects migrants to resources. She would like to see more housing counseling, and other programming, like ESL classes in shelters.

But even if people get help with finding support, not everyone is eligible. Only people who arrived before mid-November are eligible for the state’s short-term rental aid, and a fraction of people have received work permits. That leaves people in a desperate situation, said Wong.

What are conditions like in shelters?

Migrants staying in shelters filed nearly 250 grievances between June 2023 and January 2024, alleging hostile treatment, discrimination and a lack of basic necessities.

Meanwhile, sickness is an issue due to close quarters. A Pilsen shelter is currently in quarantine due to multiple cases of the measles. It’s the same location where a 5-year-old boy died in December.

Advocates say that as migrants look for more permanent housing, they deserve a safe space to stay, where their basic needs can be met.

“(People need) basic items to live, so their minds can be free to actually focus on the future,” Wong said.

Reset host Sasha-Ann Simons spoke with WBEZ’s immigration reporter Adriana Cardona-Maguigad and ChiWelcome volunteer Lydia Wong.

You can listen to the full conversation above.