DeKalb area leaders embark on initial planning for possible arrival of migrants

DeKALB – Weeks after the city approved a plan aimed at deterring unplanned bus drop-offs of migrants, DeKalb area leaders said they’re developing plans to ensure any who arrive locally get access to housing, food and other needs while en route to Chicago.

DeKalb officials recently invited the public to continue discussion about how to pool area resources across the city, township and other agencies to prepare for unexpected visitors.

City Manager Bill Nicklas said that an organizing meeting was called as DeKalb area leaders felt it was necessary to discuss the potential arrival of migrants and how the community would respond.

“At the meeting, it was a plea to see if the community was willing to make the effort to try to organize a longer term response than an overnight type of response,” Nicklas said.

[ Why are migrants coming to northern Illinois? Here’s what we know ]

The organizing meeting, held at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in DeKalb, comes on the heels of discussion on this topic at City Council meetings where supporters and opponents alike had a chance to voice their views on how the city is addressing the matter.

The city of DeKalb has yet to report any unplanned migrant arrivals.

The meeting drew in about 50 people, officials said. Among those in attendance were residents, elected officials, representatives of the DeKalb County Mental Health Board and more.

One takeaway from the meeting, according to DeKalb area leaders, was the need for identifying needs in the event that migrants should be dropped off in town. That includes food, housing, language interpreters, monetary donations, health care and more.

Another outcome arising from the meeting is that two residents – Frankie DiCaccio and David Becker – were named to lead the newly formed interim citizen steering committee in support of DeKalb migrant aid, which is tasked with organizing volunteers, raising money and coordinating non-governmental responses.

DiCaccio, a DeKalb resident and co-chair of the interim citizen steering committee, said they want to see DeKalb become part of the solution.

“Unfortunately, what we’re hearing and seeing more and more is that there is not an oasis of resources for this,” DiCaccio said. “Chicago, itself, is challenged. Even the biggest cities with resources are challenged.”

On Nov. 16, Gov. JB Pritzker announced a plan to allocate $160 million through the Illinois Department of Human Services to help aid asylum seekers headed to Chicago. The funds, according to the governor’s office, are mostly allocated to the city of Chicago.

DiCaccio said underserved groups shouldn’t have to fight over the same resources.

“There’s also a concern in the community that I’m really sensitive to … about what’s realistic and what resources we already have and making sure that our community experiencing need here already continues to get their needs met,” DiCaccio said. “We certainly don’t want to divert any sort of support away from anyone in DeKalb already who’s experiencing need. I’m a pretty firm believer that rising tides lift all boats and that our work can help establish a sort of floor of care that doesn’t just serve any asylum-seekers or migrants but also can help serve people already in DeKalb experiencing need.”

DeKalb Township Supervisor Mary Hess said the township is unable to supply any money toward the cause.

“One of the reasons that we held this meeting is because we don’t want there to be any false assumptions in the community that local government units can handle this, townships specifically,” Hess said. “I can’t speak to the other units of government, but our funds are restricted. We have to follow the Illinois Township code and directly giving money to individuals, unless they have a certain immigration station, we can’t do that. We could potentially help with food needs because we already work with local food banks. But we don’t have unlimited funds for this particular cause and that’s why we really need to involve the community because the units of government can’t handle this on their own.”

Nicklas said the city had been doing research on what other communities are doing.

“We have an emergency response plan that included care and respite overnight for persons who might arrive on an unscheduled bus stop,” Nicklas said. “Our concern was we did not have until just a couple weeks ago a community group of volunteers that would be able to take the relief further than that and find the resources to do it.”

In the village of Oak Park, for example, officials had used a combination of roughly $1 million in state and federal aid provided by Supporting Municipalities for Asylum Seeker Services and unspent American Rescue Plan Act funding to help communities outside of Chicago to support asylum-seekers.

Hess said DeKalb area leaders are looking to model how they approach the matter similar to Oak Park.

“Oak Park, I think, they had a great model,” Hess said. “They were able to assemble things. The way they documented it, it was very, very helpful. It looks like they had one organization in the community that the funds went to and then that organization carried everything out. I am not aware that any organization in our community has the manpower to carry out this entire plan. So, if the community owns it, then maybe that’s more realistic. We can provide everything that needs to be provided.”

DiCaccio said they are relieved that the city is taking steps to be more welcoming to migrants.

“This meeting at New Hope was a lot of people who wanted to help and it was very inspiring,” DiCaccio said. “After a couple of weeks of feeling pretty deterred that Wednesday meeting was really uplifting.”

Nicklas said he considers the recent organizing meeting that was put on by the city a success.

“In the meeting, a number of people – 22, in particular – volunteered to lead the organizing effort,” Nicklas said. “Since that time, we’ve been in every other day contact with those two who now have an organizing committee.”