A Democratic official in Chicago is accusing the city’s mayor from his own party of engaging in a “cover-up” related to illnesses spreading in city migrant shelters.
Officials from the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) confirmed on Wednesday that a “small number” of tuberculosis (TB) cases have been contracted by migrants in “a few different shelters,” according to reports, though they did not disclose the exact number of cases or the shelters.
The new TB cases come on the heels of measles outbreaks. In mid-March, health officials confirmed eight measles cases associated with migrant shelters—the first measles cases of any kind in the city in the past five years. The number has grown to 56 cases as of Friday, with 33 affecting children ages up to age 4, and 15 affecting ages 15 to 49.
Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez, a Democrat, told NewsNation on Thursday that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration has “tried to cover this up from the jump” and ignore the measles and now TB cases, adding that the city is playing a “smoke and mirrors game.”
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“This is not new,” said Lopez, who represents Chicago’s 15th Ward. “This has been going on for a long time, and it has become too much to hide.”
Newsweek reached out to Lopez, Johnson’s office and the CDPH via phone and email for comment.
Lopez also said that he has been told of at least five TB cases that have been linked to the same migrant shelter where the majority of measles cases have been linked since last month, admonishing the city for “slow-rolling” information to the public.
He did not mention which shelter, though a number of measles cases emanated from new migrant arrivals at a shelter in Pilsen in the Lower West Side.
A CDPH spokesperson told the Chicago Sun-Times that the cases should not be considered as part of an “outbreak,” adding that between 100 and 150 cases tend to show up annually across the city. The department is still figuring out which cases stem from new arrivals and which are city residents.
Measles can be prevented with vaccines but TB cannot.
CDPH officials have warned of potential measles exposure at various locations around Chicago, including bus stops, Walmart, churches, office buildings and three public schools, according to WGN.
“I’m at a loss for words because we know why this is happening yet refuse to act or hold @ChicagosMayor & his team accountable #Insanity,” Lopez wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.
In February, Democratic Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said continued sheltering of migrants requires roughly $321 million to maintain facilities and services, with taxpayers footing the bill for some $70 million.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.