DePaul awarded state grants, Migration Collaborative's event, and $2 million approved to battle CTA homelessness
Plus, a new documentary recommendation
Welcome back to ‘In the Loop’! We’ve got a good one for you today. It’s your newsletter team — Alexandra, Morgan, Gia, Lauren, Sam, Annabelle, Elizabeth and Audrey — back with another Monday night edition to start off your week!
First, Staff Writer Morgan Kirsch covered DePaul Migration Collaborative’s event on forced migration to Chicago where expert guests were invited to speak on the issue of migrants being forced into moving to sanctuary cities.
Also, DePaul was awarded $34.2 million in construction grants from the Illinois Board of Higher Education and is in the process of applying for an additional $8.9 million to go towards reconstructing the first floor of the Schmitt Athletic Center and creating a new Welcome Center. In other large Chicago news, an addition of $2 million was approved from the transit authority to continue funding a pilot program to help with outreach for those battling homelessness on Chicago’s Blue and Red Lines.
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With that, let’s get into tonight’s news!
DePaul Migration Collaborative’s Event on Forced Migration to Chicago: What You Should Know
By Morgan Kirsch
The DePaul Migration Collaborative invited expert guests on January 30 to speak on the issue of migrants being forced into moving to sanctuary cities like Chicago. Speakers included Elizabeth G. Kennedy, Rob Paral, Laura Rodriguez Presa and Breandán Mageen, who discuss oppression and poverty in Central America, what Chicago’s officials are doing in response to the migration influx, community responses and volunteer opportunities for students.
Elizabeth Kennedy is a country conditions expert and social scientist researching human rights, gender, violence and migration in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and the US-Mexico border. Though she did not work directly with Venezuelan migrants in Chicago, Kennedy’s research applies to the motivations, mindsets and circumstances of any immigrants seeking asylum or relief from oppressive governments. Throughout her research, she conducted interviews with around 400 child migrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras detained on both sides of the border between Tijuana, Mexico and San Diego. She also traveled to El Salvador to interview a representative sample of children in that population.
Through interviews, Kennedy discovered that most people were fleeing El Salvador not to reunite with family or get better jobs, but because their very lives were at risk from imminent threats, whether from poverty, local gangs or even the state itself. Those who questioned her research claimed the children she interviewed could simply be lying, and through extensive cross-checking, she discovered children had indeed been lying. “Every time what I find is that the situation is much worse than even they are telling us,” she said.
Kennedy heavily emphasized the Salvadoran state’s role in asylum seekers and refugees lives, claiming police, soldiers and other state forces were also heavily involved in harming, persecuting, disappearing and torturing their people.
Kennedy ultimately concluded that in the cases of migrants seeking refuge, “Some think that they don’t know the risk of the journey, including the U.S. Embassy most often, but they do. They know that they’re risking their lives, but it is with the chance that they might have a better life.”
Rob Paral, a demographic and public policy consultant with specialties in immigrant, Latino and Asian populations began his presentation by presenting a QR code students could use,allowing them to volunteer in downtown Chicago. This volunteering opportunity would help migrants apply for the right to work and fill out their forms of temporary protected status.
He discussed the different populations of immigrants coming to Chicago as well as notable differences in their treatment. Paral said that, recently, at least 35,000 people migrating to Chicago initially entered the U.S. through the Texas border seeking asylum. He also claimed Chicago is home to the second largest population of Ukrainian refugees.
Paral noticed the significant differences in the ways Ukrainian refugees were welcomed to Chicago as opposed to those coming from Venezuela, pointing out that many Ukrainians had sponsors to provide them with housing, often staying in the Chicago suburbs and obtaining work permits with a fair amount of ease. In contrast, Venezuelan refugees are overflowing from shelters and are collectively experiencing a very difficult time obtaining work permits, implying a suspected racial component to the issue.
Laura Rodriguez Presa is a journalist and DePaul alumni working for the Chicago Tribune covering the Latino community in the Chicago area. She found in her research and conversations with Venezuelan migrants that they were primarily escaping from an authoritarian regime, extreme poverty and violence. Presa learned that though many came to the U.S. under the assumption that they would be given asylum and become legal, the process is often too long, costly or unattainable for many of them.
Presa condemns Conservative state governments like Texas for exacerbating migrant housing issues. She corrected that the situation in Chicago is not a “migrant crisis”, but rather, “A crisis created by the immigration federal policies and its push to send migrants only and directly to sanctuary cities and other Democratic cities.”
Senior Director of Programs for Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) Breandán Magee detailed the divisions between Chicago’s homeless and immigrant communities based on the “scarcity mindset.” Some resentment has started forming between underserved people in Chicago because of the perception that migrants are receiving more support than U.S. citizens who are struggling. He also discussed the limited 60 day stays in shelter before Chicago migrants get evicted and how housing rental assistance provided by the city was cut off because of a lack of funds.
Magee supported Presa’s claim that legal status will be unattainable for many of the migrants.
“Less than 10% of the folks that come in are actually eligible to go forward with an employment authorization card or potentially even apply for asylum,” he said.
DePaul News
By Gia Clarke
DePaul earns state grants for construction and renovation projects
The Illinois Board of Higher Education awarded DePaul $34.2 million in construction grants, and DePaul is in the process of applying for an additional $8.9 million. DePaul plans to put this money towards renovating the first floor of the Schmitt Academic Center in the Lincoln Park campus, and creating a new Welcome Center. There are also plans to remodel parts of the College of Law in the Lewis and O’Malley buildings. To get started with the renovations, DePaul plans to pay for the construction costs upfront over the next five years, with the state grants reimbursing the university over time. Mary Hansen from the DePaul Newsline has more.
Two new exhibitions are coming to the DePaul Art Museum
On March 14, the exhibitions, “In Memory Of” and “The Image Pool” will make an appearance at the DePaul Art Museum until August 4. “In Memory Of” is by Selva Aparicio, a Chicago local artist. Her exhibition aims to shed light on domestic violence and the complexities of domestic life. “The Image Pool” is a collaborative exhibition spotlighting six different artists: Eugene Von Bruenchenhein, Mr. Imagination, Marva Lee Pitchford-Jolly, June Wayne, Derek Webster, and Joseph Yoakum. The exhibit attempts to show how art is something that is all around us, and what it means to be a contemporary artist. The DePaul Newsline has more.
McGowan North ranked as the 14th highest emitting building in Chicago
City data from Electrify Chicago rank McGowen North at DePaul as the 14th highest greenhouse gas emitting building in Chicago, with 39.7 kg/sq ft of greenhouse gas intensity. Five other DePaul buildings, like the Lincoln Park Student Center, McGowan South, The DePaul Center, Centennial Hall and the Holtschneider Performance Center were also listed as high greenhouse gas emitters, despite both the Holtschneider Performance Center and McGowan South being LEED-certified. However, Electrify Chicago only registers 50,000 sq ft buildings. LEED certification is the most used green building certification internationally. Rose O’Keefe from The DePaulia has more.
Samara Smith serves on Designing DePaul’s Black Equity Initiative Committee
While graduate student Samara Smith is studying abroad in Merida Mexico, she still contributes to Designing DePaul’s Black Equity Initiative Committee. The Black Equity Initiative Committee collaborates to formulate a plan to better support and serve black students, faculty and staff at DePaul. Following graduation with a degree in political science and a Masters in Education, Smith plans to work in education policy, and plans to teach in a Chicago Public Schools classroom, as her passions lie within equity and inclusion, especially in education policy. University Communications from The DePaul Newsline has more.
Chicago Headlines
By Lauren Sheperd
ShotSpotter is out, but not until September – Mayor Brandon Johnson has signed a contract extension with ShotSpotter’s parent company – SoundThinking – that is set to expire September 22 of this year. The controversial system is commissioned mostly in police districts on the south and west sides and is used to detect gunshots and alert law enforcement. While some say it is crucial to quicken response time to incidents, others say it is ineffective and contributes to over-policing. In his mayoral campaign last year, Johnson promised to end Chicago’s contract with ShotSpotter. Come September, the city will move into a two month transition period of which details have yet to be released. Block Club Chicago’s Quinn Myers has more.
CPS students have bounced back to pre-pandemic reading levels – New research has shown that third through eighth grade students at Chicago Public Schools now rank third among large districts nationwide in reading. Though officials acknowledge that there is still a long way to go, the results of the Education Recovery Scorecard conducted by Harvard and Stanford universities prove that relief money was spent wisely to curb learning loss. Illinois is one of three states where reading levels in 2023 exceed reading levels in 2019. Despite this will, CPS math scores are still behind. Sophie Sherry and Nader Issa of the Chicago Sun-Times have more.
$2 million to go to battling CTA homelessness this year – An additional $2 million has been approved by the transit authority continuing to fund a pilot program to continue outreach to those battling homelessness on Chicago’s Blue and Red lines. The program – which originally got $2 million at the end of 2022 – is led by Haymarket Center and Thresholds and the city’s Department of Family and Support Services. The goal of the program is to increase the number of people connected to shelters and housing. Due to the 24 hour availability of the Red and Blue lines, as well as the constant heating of the CTA in Chicago’s coldest months, many homeless individuals take refuge there. In 2022, 564 people were found sheltering on CTA trains and property. Block Club Chicago’s Rachel Hinton and WTTW’s Nick Blumburg have more.
New Sox stadium could cost the public $1 billion – The White Sox are prepared to ask for $1 billion in public funding from the state to build their new stadium, according to a report from Crain’s Chicago Business. The new stadium is to be built at “The 78” – a piece of land near South Loop set to become Chicago’s 78th neighborhood. With revenue from around the stadium – including housing, bars, restaurants and more – going back to the state, White Sox team owner Jerry Reinsdorf is confident that the state will provide him with the funds. NBC Chicago’s Ryan Taylor has more.
National Headlines
By Sam Freeman
Two officers and one first responder killed responding to a domestic call in Minnesota – A man armed with guns and ammunition killed two police officers and one first responder in the suburbs of Burnsville, Minnesota, according to authorities. A third officer was wounded and the suspect was also killed. The officers were responding to a call about an armed man who barricaded himself in a room with his family, including seven children. Negotiations with the suspect lasted for hours before the SWAT team went into the home and gunshots were fired, says the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. The family was able to make it out safely. The officers Paul Elmstrand and Matthew Ruge and firefighter Adam Finseth were killed. Another police officer, Sgt. Adam Medlicott was injured and being treated at a nearby hospital. Steve Karnowski and Heather Hollingsworth of the Associated Press have more information.
George Santos sues Jimmy Kimmel for tricking him into making videos to ridicule him – In a lawsuit on Saturday, former U.S. Rep. George Santos filed a lawsuit against late-night show host Jimmy Kimmel, alleging that he deceived him into making videos on the Cameo app which were used to ridicule Santos on the show. He’s suing on counts of alleged copyright infringement, fraudulent inducement, breach of contract, and unjust enrichment. According to the complaint, Kimmel had submitted at least 14 requests that used fake names and narratives. Beginning in December, the videos were played on a segment called “Will Santos Say it?” Santos is seeking $750,000 in statutory damages. Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives last year after being charged with counts of fraud and stealing from donors. He faces several other criminal charges. The Associated Press has the story.
Nikki Haley calls for a TikTok ban over privacy concerns – In a Fox News town hall event on Sunday, Nikki Haley criticized the use of TikTok by political candidates. During the conversation with co-anchor John Roberts, she condemned President Joe Biden for posting a TikTok on the night of the Super Bowl. She also criticized former President Donald Trump for failing to diminish the platform’s use while he was in the White House. In a Republican debate in September, Haley referred to TikTok as “one of the most dangerous social media assets,” and she’s again renewed her call for a ban. During the conversation, Haley also hammered Trump for his friendly relationship with President Vladimir Putin of Russia and berated him for indicating that he would encourage Russian aggression against U.S. allies in Europe. Jazmine Ulloa and Chris Cameron from The New York Times have the story.
“Most wanted” man pleads guilty in cybersecurity attack that upended Vermont hospital – A Ukrainian man pleaded guilty in federal court on Thursday for his involvement in two cyberattacks that caused millions of dollars in losses at a hospital in Vermont in 2020, according to the Justice Department. Vyacheslav Igorevich Penchukov, 37, was a leader of an organization that began to infect computers in May of 2009, according to prosecutors. The Justice Department said he helped lead “a wide-ranging racketeering enterprise and conspiracy” that installed a software called Zeus onto thousands of business computers. Penchukov and his organization used malware to target the University of Vermont Medical Center, which lost more than $30 million. According to employees, the hospital had to decline hundreds of cancer patients. Penchukov was on the FBI’s Cyber’s Most Wanted List for almost a decade. Amanda Holpuch of The New York Times has the story.
14 East Pueblo: Mexico’s Presidential Election Sparks International Protests
By Annabelle Rivera
Tens of thousands of people gathered in Mexico and abroad Sunday to advocate for fair presidential elections and protest corruption in Mexico’s government.
The protests came the same day that presidential front-runner Claudia Sheinbaum registered with the Morena political party. Sheinbaum has been called a “continuation candidate” of current President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who garnered controversy for cutting funding for Mexico’s electoral agency in a move that critics say endangers democracy.
Demonstrators in Chicago could be heard chanting “Democracy yes, dictatorship no” during a protest in Little Village.
“Today isn’t about parties, today is about bringing in democracy, liberty, and protecting those constitutional rights that we all have, both Mexicans there and here in the United States,” Javier Salas, the organizer of the march, told Telemundo Chicago.
President López Obrador dismissed the protests, calling demonstrators “corrupt” and said that there will be no electoral fraud in the upcoming election.
For the first time, Mexican nationals living in Illinois and Northern Indiana are able to vote in the Mexican presidential election on June 2 at the Consulate General of Mexico of Chicago. The National Electoral Institute has extended voter registration for Mexicans abroad through February 25.
Hey, Check This Out!
With Featured Columnist Elizabeth Gregerson
On Friday, February 16 it was reported that Russian opposition leader and anti-corruption activist Alexei Navlny had died in prison at the age of 47.
Arrested on January 17 2021, after surviving a poisoning attempt the Russian Federal Security Service has been implicated for, Navlny had spent the last three years being transported between various prisons across Russia.
Navalny’s life before, during and after his poisoning can be seen in the 2022 documentary, Navalny, produced by CNN Films and HBO Max. Directed by Daniel Roher, Navalny won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, a Critic’s Choice Documentary award for Best Political Documentary and a BAFTA award for Best Documentary.
The film is essential viewing to understand the context of Navalny’s arrest, imprisonment and death. It also provides insight into the personal life of Navalny, the strength and resolve of his wife Yulia, and the effects his activism had on those closest to him.
Seeing videos of Navalny’s arrest, alongside the arrests and attacks on those peacefully showing support for Navalny, will put into perspective the freedoms many Americans take for granted and the true horror of living under Vladimir Putin’s rule.
Investigators featured in the documentary were able to track down the team of men who poisoned Navalny, unequivocally proving how much risk Navalny lived with everyday as a free Russian citizen. Viewers will come to the unsettling realization that no matter how dangerous his life was on the outside, having his life in the hands of the Russian government would surely lead to his eventual death.
Besides many devastating takeaways, viewers can also expect to laugh and be inspired by Navalny’s honesty, bravery and humor. Navalny is available to stream on Max, Amazon Prime and YouTube.
Resources
Need resources regarding warming centers, rental assistance, abortion access, COVID-19 testing and vaccines or mental health? Check out our complete list here.
That’s it for today! See you next Monday.
The 14 East Newsletter Team