FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Wednesday, December 20, 2023 

Media Contact: media@theyoungcenter.org 

Chicago, Illinois—In response to the news that a 5-year-old died this past Sunday after becoming ill at a shelter for recently arrived migrants in Chicago and last week’s news that an 11-year-old boy in a similar shelter in New York City, the Young Center’s Executive Director, Gladis Molina Alt, released the following statement: 

“My heart is saddened after learning of these two devastating deaths, and I can’t help but think of both little boys’ parents who desperately wish to hold their sons again. Like so many children and families, these children and their families came to the U.S. seeking safety but were instead met with cruel policies and systems that failed to meet their basic human needs.  

After being sent to cities like Chicago and New York, many immigrant families face overcrowded shelters where there have been reports of unsanitary conditions and lack of access to basic medical and mental health care. Just this past week, five children. Including a child as young as one, were hospitalized after experiencing fevers and vomiting while in the Chicago shelters.  

Everyone, especially children who have endured long and traumatic journeys, should receive the  medical attention and mental health care they need. Children who are sick, like the little boy in Chicago, should never be left to suffer to the point where their illness becomes life-threatening. Families urgently deserve access to robust support and community-based services that allow them to begin building a stable a life for themselves and their children here, outside of these large-scale facilities where thousands of people are crowded into one space. Tragedies like these little boys’ deaths will only continue the longer our country, our states, and our cities fail to provide holistic, permanent support.” 

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The Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights is a non-profit organization that protects and advances the rights and best interests of immigrant children and advocates for an immigration system that treats children as children first. For press inquiries, please contact media@theyoungcenter.org