CHICAGO — Members of the 10th police district council said there are currently 27 migrants living at the station weeks ago after allegations surfaced of sexual misconduct.

On July 7, roughly 40 migrants were moved out of the CPD 10th district location after the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) opened an investigation after reports officers had improper sexual relations with migrants at the police station in North Lawndale.

The incident has been under investigation with the Chicago Police Department’s Bureau of Internal Affairs, but have reported they have been unable to locate a victim.

The city confirmed that asylum seekers are also back at the 19th district in Lakeview where there was an allegation of sexual misconduct as well.

Since August 2022, the city of Chicago reports 204 buses have arrived.

As of Friday morning, there are more than 16-awaiting shelter placement and more than 1,300 of them are living at Chicago police districts across the city.

Elainne Bahana with the new 10th police district council said the following about the decision to reopen these two police buildings to migrants:

“The decision was made because they’re expecting more buses to come in the last week so they made the decision to reopen the other police stations ours in the 10th wasn’t the only one being investigated for these allegations so it was very concerning that they made this decision to reopen while the case was still open.

We reached out to the mayor’s office for comment, in a statement a city of Chicago spokesperson said:

“This is an ever-growing humanitarian crisis that poses significant infrastructure challenges to an already overwhelmed shelter system, Chicago police districts, our city agencies, mutual aid partners, volunteers, and community residents. Sleeping on the floors of Chicago Police Department district stations is not the goal as a welcoming city and we are committed to transitioning individuals and families from police stations to provide safe and dignified shelter as we support their path to resettlement and self-sufficiency.”

We also reached out to the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (COPA) who wrote the following:

“COPA does not weigh in on any decision regarding migrants and their placement at police districts. COPA‘s core responsibility is to receive complaints and investigate allegations of police misconduct within our jurisdiction.”

The city of Chicago said it is ensuring there are protocols in place to keep new arrivals at police stations safe while they wait for more adequate shelter.

They have posted educational signage on trafficking, domestic violence, and misconduct and how to report.