{"id":31765,"date":"2026-01-13T07:00:45","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T13:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/?p=31765"},"modified":"2026-02-05T17:47:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T23:47:21","slug":"chicago-aserap-incendio-provocado-venezuela-recien-llegados","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Le quitaron la vida a mi hijo\u2019: Una familia migrante lidia con la muerte de su hijo tras un incendio fatal."},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d66986d3d\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-8 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col padding-3-percent inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sirens woke Mariana Pe<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00f1<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a Ram\u00edrez up before daybreak on June 15, 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The neighbors must be fighting again, she thought groggily.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But then, Mariana felt the heaviness in the air. Smoke was filling her bedroom.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI screamed for my husband to get our son,\u201d Mariana told Borderless Magazine in Spanish.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d66988229\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row vc_row-o-equal-height vc_row-flex vc_row-o-content-middle large top_margin_20px bottom_margin_20px\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"true\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row-bg-overlay row-bg-layer\" style=\"background: ##FFFFFF; background: linear-gradient(90deg,##FFFFFF 0%,##FFFFFF 100%);  opacity: 1; \"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col padding-3-percent force-phone-text-align-center inherit_tablet inherit_phone border_top_desktop_1px border_bottom_desktop_1px border_color_000000 border_style_solid \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d66988aa1\" data-midnight=\"\" data-column-margin=\"default\" class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row inner_row vc_row-o-equal-height vc_row-flex vc_row-o-content-middle\"  style=\"\"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\"> <div class=\"row-bg\" ><\/div> <\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12_inner col span_12  left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-7 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col child_column no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"   data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<h3 id=\"news-that-puts-power-under-the-spotlight-and-communities-at-the-center\"><strong>News that puts power under the spotlight and communities at the center.<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Sign up for our free newsletter and get updates twice a week. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div style=\"margin-top: -20px; \" class=\"vc_col-sm-5 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col child_column neg-marg no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"   data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"wpb_raw_code wpb_raw_html wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"_form_1\"><\/div><script src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.bluelena.io\/f\/embed.php?id=1\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Her 7-year-old son, Adrian Matias Linares, was sleeping next to them in a small bed inside their two-bedroom apartment they shared with other family members on Chicago\u2019s South Side. The Venezuelan family had moved out of a city shelter and into the building just months before as part of the state\u2019s emergency rental assistance program for migrants. And now, their apartment was on fire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the couple opened their bedroom, a cloud of smoke engulfed much of the apartment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI couldn&#8217;t see anyone else,\u201d Mariana said. \u201cEverything was dark.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d6698a876\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-8 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-with-aniamtion-wrap center\" data-max-width=\"100%\" data-max-width-mobile=\"default\" data-shadow=\"none\" data-animation=\"fade-in\"  style=\"margin-top: 3%; margin-bottom: 3%; \">\r\n      <div class=\"inner\">\r\n        <div class=\"hover-wrap\"> \r\n          <div class=\"hover-wrap-inner\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-animation skip-lazy \" data-delay=\"0\" height=\"1920\" width=\"1440\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2024_06_14_CFD.jpg\" alt=\"A brick apartment building is seen with firefighters working to put out a fire there during the night at 2414 E 78th St. in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago on June 15, 2025.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2024_06_14_CFD.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2024_06_14_CFD-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2024_06_14_CFD-9x12.jpg 9w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2024_06_14_CFD-450x600.jpg 450w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2024_06_14_CFD-623x830.jpg 623w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2024_06_14_CFD-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/2024_06_14_CFD-960x1280.jpg 960w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1450px) 75vw, (min-width: 1000px) 85vw, 100vw\" \/>\r\n         <\/div>\r\n      <\/div><span class=\"vc_figure-caption ccfic-text media-caption\">Firefighters work to put out a fire at 2414 E 78th St. on June 15, 2025.<\/span><span class=\"media-credit\">Chicago Fire Department<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d6698bc9a\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-8 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They were trapped: The apartment\u2019s front door led to the fire, and they struggled to open several windows in their apartment, the family told Borderless Magazine.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe were looking for a way to get out or escape,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Finally, firefighters helped Mariana and her family escape one by one through different windows from the third-floor apartment. On the ground, she learned her son Adrian had been taken to a hospital by ambulance, but her 24-year-old brother-in-law, Urbna Yolmar, was still missing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yolmar was later pronounced dead at the scene, and her son died from smoke and fire-related injuries days later.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe came to the U.S. hoping for a better life for him,\u201d said Mariana, her voice breaking. \u201cHe was our only child.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More than a year after Adrian\u2019s death, Mariana is still searching for answers about the night of the fire, which the police investigated as an arson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Mariana and her family arrived in Chicago in the fall of 2023 seeking asylum, their dream of finding a home was turned upside down as they found themselves trapped in a maze of government bureaucracies: the city\u2019s migrant shelter system, the state of Illinois\u2019 emergency rental relief program for migrants, and an arson investigation at an apartment the state helped place them in.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"from-venezuela-to-halsted-shelter-in-chicago\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From Venezuela to Halsted Shelter in Chicago<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mariana\u2019s journey to Chicago began years earlier in Venezuela, where she had studied medicine before pausing her education to give birth to Adrian. In the face of political and economic uncertainty, the family migrated to Colombia. There, Mariana worked at a restaurant, and her husband, Eleazar Perdomo, was a delivery driver. After a few years, Mariana\u2019s family <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/americasquarterly.org\/article\/colombias-uncertainty-is-sinking-investment-and-more\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sought asylum in the U.S. as Colombia faced its own economic uncertainty and safety concerns.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"fws_69d2d6698c742\" data-midnight=\"\" data-column-margin=\"default\" class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row inner_row\"  style=\"\"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\"> <div class=\"row-bg\" ><\/div> <\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12_inner col span_12  left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col child_column border_bottom_desktop_1px border_color_000000 border_style_solid top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"   data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_sep_color_black wpb_content_element vc_separator-has-text\" ><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span><h4 id=\"read-more-of-our-coverage\">Read More of Our Coverage<\/h4><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-inline-posts\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-inline-posts-container pk-inline-posts-template-list\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-columns=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article id=\"post-31318\" class=\"post-31318 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail category-immigration-policy category-investigation category-top-stories tag-southshoreraid\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-post-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-post-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-overlay pk-overlay-ratio pk-ratio-landscape\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-overlay-background\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2025\/12\/04\/i-lost-everything-venezuelans-were-rounded-up-in-a-dramatic-midnight-raid-but-never-charged-with-a-crime\/\" class=\"pk-overlay-link\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/20251019_Drone-ProPub-S.Shore-STILLS-01_maxHeight_3000_maxWidth_3000-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-pk-thumbnail size-pk-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-post-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<header>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"pk-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2025\/12\/04\/i-lost-everything-venezuelans-were-rounded-up-in-a-dramatic-midnight-raid-but-never-charged-with-a-crime\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">\u201cI Lost Everything\u201d: Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-post-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"pk-meta-author meta-author\"><span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/author\/jodi-cohen\/\" title=\"View all posts by Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, Jodi S. Cohen, Christian Miller, Sebastian Rotella, and Mariam Elba\">Melissa Sanchez, ProPublica, Jodi S. Cohen, Christian Miller, Sebastian Rotella, and Mariam Elba<\/a><\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sep\">\u00b7<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"pk-meta-date meta-date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2025\/12\/04\/i-lost-everything-venezuelans-were-rounded-up-in-a-dramatic-midnight-raid-but-never-charged-with-a-crime\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">diciembre 4, 2025<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/header><!-- .entry-header -->\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .post-inner -->\n\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .post-outer -->\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They crossed the U.S.-Mexico border and came to Chicago in October 2023, hoping for a fresh start.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe came looking for a better future, more stability, better health, better education, and more economic opportunities,\u201d Mariana said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Over <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicago.gov\/city\/en\/sites\/texas-new-arrivals\/home\/Dashboard.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">51,000 people came<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to Chicago between 2022 and 2024, as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republican leaders bused and flew thousands of migrants and asylum seekers arriving at the border to Democratic-led cities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response, city officials opened nearly three dozen migrant shelters across the city to temporarily house and feed the migrants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In late October 2023, Mariana and her family moved into the Halsted Shelter in Pilsen, where they lived until April 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At its peak, the Halsted Shelter, an industrial complex the city converted into a temporary shelter, was home to approximately 2,300 new arrivals and became the subject of multiple investigations by Borderless Magazine. The first of these<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2023\/12\/14\/investigation-chicago-migrant-shelter-pilsen-dangerous\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> detailed inhumane living conditions and rampant illnesses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Just days after the investigation was published, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2023\/12\/18\/5-dies-shelter-venezuelan-migrant-dangerous-conditions-chicago\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">five-year-old<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero died of sepsis <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2024\/02\/27\/chicago-pilsen-shelter-migrant-crisis-jean-carlos-martinez-sepsis-brandon-johnson\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">after contracting multiple viruses in the shelter<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"wpb_widgetised_column wpb_content_element\">\n\t\t<div id=\"sidebar\" data-nectar-ss=\"true\" class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div id=\"custom_html-4 1articleright\" class=\"widget_text widget widget_custom_html\"><h3 id=\"wordpress-popular-posts\" class=\"widget-title\">WordPress Popular Posts<\/h3><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><h4 id=\"trending-posts\" class=\"widget-title\">Trending Posts<\/h4><div class=\"wpp-shortcode\"><script type=\"application\/json\" data-id=\"wpp-shortcode-inline-js\">{\"title\":\"Trending Posts\",\"limit\":\"3\",\"offset\":0,\"range\":\"custom\",\"time_quantity\":\"124\",\"time_unit\":\"day\",\"freshness\":\"1\",\"order_by\":\"views\",\"post_type\":\"post\",\"pid\":\"\",\"exclude\":\"\",\"cat\":\"\",\"taxonomy\":\"category\",\"term_id\":\"\",\"author\":\"\",\"shorten_title\":{\"active\":false,\"length\":0,\"words\":false},\"post-excerpt\":{\"active\":false,\"length\":0,\"keep_format\":false,\"words\":false},\"thumbnail\":{\"active\":true,\"build\":\"predefined\",\"width\":\"240\",\"height\":\"160\"},\"rating\":false,\"stats_tag\":{\"comment_count\":false,\"views\":false,\"author\":false,\"date\":{\"active\":false,\"format\":\"F j, Y\"},\"category\":false,\"taxonomy\":{\"active\":false,\"name\":\"category\"}},\"markup\":{\"custom_html\":true,\"wpp-start\":\"&lt;ul class=&quot;wpp-list wpp-cardview&quot;&gt;\",\"wpp-end\":\"&lt;\\\/ul&gt;\",\"title-start\":\"&lt;h4 class=&quot;widget-title&quot;&gt;\",\"title-end\":\"&lt;\\\/h4&gt;\",\"post-html\":\"&lt;li&gt;{thumb} {title} {stats}&lt;\\\/li&gt;\"},\"theme\":{\"name\":\"\"}}<\/script><div class=\"wpp-shortcode-placeholder\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d66990c0c\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row article-image\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-with-aniamtion-wrap center\" data-max-width=\"100%\" data-max-width-mobile=\"default\" data-shadow=\"none\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" >\r\n      <div class=\"inner\">\r\n        <div class=\"hover-wrap\"> \r\n          <div class=\"hover-wrap-inner\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-animation skip-lazy \" data-delay=\"0\" height=\"1280\" width=\"1920\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-240x160.jpg 240w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-1245x830.jpg 1245w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2023_12_21_HalstedShelter-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1450px) 75vw, (min-width: 1000px) 85vw, 100vw\" \/>\r\n         <\/div>\r\n      <\/div><span class=\"vc_figure-caption ccfic-text media-caption\">People wait to enter the Halsted Shelter in Pilsen on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023.<\/span><span class=\"media-credit\">Sebastian Hidalgo For Borderless Magazine<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d6699187d\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-8 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the weeks leading up to his death, migrants made at least 17 grievance reports to the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), decrying spoiled food, the rationing of water and mistreatment from staff.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In formal complaints to the city and in interviews with Borderless, migrants say shelter staff did not take their medical concerns seriously. A local alderman also cautioned city officials that concerns of illnesses spreading <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2024\/02\/27\/chicago-pilsen-shelter-migrant-crisis-jean-carlos-martinez-sepsis-brandon-johnson\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">were not being taken seriously.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis was a preventable death. And it was 100% expected,\u201d said Britt Hodgdon, a social worker <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2023\/12\/21\/chicago-mayor-shelter-officials-respond-to-living-conditions\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">who volunteered to support migrants, at the time. <\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe knew this was coming. We\u2019ve been raising the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2024\/02\/27\/chicago-pilsen-shelter-migrant-crisis-jean-carlos-martinez-sepsis-brandon-johnson\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">alarms for months and months and months.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Halsted Shelter closed <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2024\/10\/01\/chicago-pilsen-shelter-migrant-asylum-seekers-venezuela\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in September 2024<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> amid <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2024\/04\/03\/tuberculosis-chicago-migrants-shelters-outbreak-department-of-public-health-measles\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ongoing health concerns,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> including a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2024\/03\/11\/chicago-migrant-shelter-pilsen-measles-viral-infection-centers-for-disease-and-control\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">measles outbreak<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and reports of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2024\/11\/19\/chicago-migrant-shelter-favorite-healthcare-staffing\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mistreatment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Many migrants and immigrant advocates at the time praised the city\u2019s decision to wind down the temporary shelter system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWhen they took us to the shelter, it was very hard to live among [thousands] of people,\u201d Mariana said. Still, she was grateful to have a place to sleep. \u201cIt was not very comfortable but as\u00a0 the months went by, you had to adapt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But for Mariana and many others, finding a permanent home after leaving the shelters was not easy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"decent-safe-and-sanitary-housing\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cDecent, safe, and sanitary\u201d housing\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mariana and her family first learned about the state\u2019s Asylum Seeker Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ASERAP) while living inside the Halsted Shelter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launched in December 2022, ASERAP offered a one-time grant of up to $15,000 to help new arrivals transition into affordable housing. The program, managed by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) with support from Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), initially covered six months of rental assistance before<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.illinois.gov\/news\/release.html?releaseid=27307\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the state capped the program at three months<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for migrants who arrived at shelters before Nov. 16, 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the time, local <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wbez.org\/politics\/2023\/06\/20\/chicago-migrants-rental-help-program-overwhelmed\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">leaders heralded the program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as a critical state initiative to find alternative housing and support the city\u2019s ability to absorb thousands of migrants arriving in Illinois.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cAs many of the asylum seekers have limited-to-no knowledge of the English language, IHDA intentionally designed the program to ensure they did not incur any barriers to applying,\u201d the state wrote in a 2023 award submission to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Illinois-Special-Needs-Housing-Combating-Homelessness-2023.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">National Council of State Housing Agencies.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cWe leaned on [Housing Stability Service] HSS providers to help in identifying landlords with available units to safely house residents, as the asylum seekers were in a completely foreign territory and in need of immediate and critical assistance,\u201d the application reads.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The state noted that housing providers must certify that the \u201chousing they will provide is decent, safe,<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncsha.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/Illinois-Special-Needs-Housing-Combating-Homelessness-2023.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and sanitary<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Catholic Charities\u2019 case workers inside shelters helped families like Mariana\u2019s find housing and apply for ASERAP funding.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d66992acb\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row article-image\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-with-aniamtion-wrap center\" data-max-width=\"100%\" data-max-width-mobile=\"default\" data-shadow=\"none\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" >\r\n      <div class=\"inner\">\r\n        <div class=\"hover-wrap\"> \r\n          <div class=\"hover-wrap-inner\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-animation skip-lazy \" data-delay=\"0\" height=\"1280\" width=\"1920\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-240x160.jpg 240w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-1245x830.jpg 1245w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_02-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1450px) 75vw, (min-width: 1000px) 85vw, 100vw\" \/>\r\n         <\/div>\r\n      <\/div><span class=\"vc_figure-caption ccfic-text media-caption\">A dark entryway inside the building where Mariana Pe\u00f1a Mariana and her family once lived in South Shore, as seen on September 26, 2024.<\/span><span class=\"media-credit\">Oscar Gomez\/Borderless Magazine<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d66993785\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-8 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<p>From December 2022 to <a href=\"https:\/\/thetriibe.com\/2025\/04\/some-see-housing-stock-and-affordability-as-underlying-reasons-why-migrants-landed-in-black-chicago-neighborhoods\/\">December 2024<\/a>, the state helped over 6,600 individuals move out of shelters and into apartments as part of the program, according to figures provided to Borderless by IDHS.<\/p>\n<p>The resettlement of new arrivals in mostly Black neighborhoods in Chicago, however, escalated tensions among longtime residents who said they had <a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2024\/04\/29\/chicago-black-latino-migrant-crisis-humanitarian-tensions-disinvestment-affordable-housing\/\">been overlooked for city resources in favor of new arrivals.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>South Shore became the top neighborhood where migrants found permanent housing through ASERAP, according to records obtained through a Freedom of Information Request by Borderless. Many families ended up in segregated communities and <a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2024\/05\/21\/migrant-students-lack-bilingual-support-in-segregated-schools\/\">underresourced schools with no bilingual services<\/a>, Chalkbeat Chicago and Block Club Chicago reported.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2024, Mariana and her family moved into a two-bedroom apartment in South Shore through the state\u2019s ASERAP program. Seven family members lived inside the apartment, including her son, husband, his brother and her sister\u2019s family, which included Mariana\u2019s brother-in-law and three-year-old nephew. Despite the close quarters, the family was grateful to have a private bathroom and kitchen after living in the shelter.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was our first time living in an apartment building in the United States,\u201d Mariana said.<\/p>\n<p>But her optimism quickly faded.<\/p>\n<p>Not long after moving in, Mariana\u2019s family noticed the frequency with which police were called for various issues.<\/p>\n<p>Police responded to over a dozen calls for help from the apartment complex and the surrounding block in the months before the family moved in, according to data from the City of Chicago. Complaints ranged from domestic disputes to burglary and assaults, data shows.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe police were always here,\u201d Mariana said. \u201cThe fire department was always here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The family frequently overheard arguments in one of the other units in the building, Mariana recalled. In their short time in the building, she told Borderless that some of their mail and mail from former tenants who had previously lived in the unit had been set on fire. Her brother-in-law\u2019s car was also hit while parked outside.<\/p>\n<p>They didn\u2019t report the fire and damage to the police because they thought that was \u201cnormal\u201d in the United States, Mariana said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"building-inspection-records\">Building Inspection Records<\/h2>\n<p>The family also didn\u2019t know that the apartment building they called home had a long history of building code violations and several owners over the years.<\/p>\n<p>Most recently, 7756 S. Phillips Limited Liability Company purchased the building in April 2023. The property has two registered addresses listed as 7756 S. Phillips St. and 2414 E. 78th St., according to property records.<\/p>\n<p>Mortgage documents show Yissocher Rotenberg was listed as a managing member of the LLC. Chicago Crossing Management LLC was authorized to manage the property, and Chicago Crossing completed the ASERAP application for the property in March 2024, according to ASERAP records obtained by Borderless Magazine.<\/p>\n<p>Under ASERAP, the state paid the property owner a deposit and $1,700 per month to cover rent, according to a lease agreement shared with Borderless Magazine.<\/p>\n<p>A review of Department of Buildings records identified several building code violations in city inspections conducted between 2006 and 2022.<\/p>\n<p>During that period, inspectors cited the building for issues such as missing or low-battery smoke detectors, blocked exits and garbage accumulation. Some of the previous violations that failed to be corrected led to at least 11 administrative hearings to address building code violations, according to building records.<\/p>\n<p>The violations that led to administrative hearings have been brought into full compliance before 2023, according to the city\u2019s law department.<\/p>\n<p>Department of Buildings Deputy Commissioner John Scott told Borderless Magazine that the agency conducted \u201cpermanent inspections here\u201d at the property due to its history of violations.<\/p>\n<p>However, Borderless did not find inspection reports from 2023 or 2024 \u2014 the period when the building\u2019s owner began receiving ASERAP funding and when the fire occurred.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"fws_69d2d66994244\" data-midnight=\"\" data-column-margin=\"default\" class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row inner_row\"  style=\"\"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\"> <div class=\"row-bg\" ><\/div> <\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12_inner col span_12  left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col child_column no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone border_bottom_desktop_1px border_color_000000 border_style_solid \"   data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"vc_separator wpb_content_element vc_separator_align_center vc_sep_width_100 vc_sep_pos_align_center vc_sep_color_black wpb_content_element vc_separator-has-text\" ><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_l\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span><h4 id=\"read-more-of-our-coverage-2\">Read More of Our Coverage<\/h4><span class=\"vc_sep_holder vc_sep_holder_r\"><span class=\"vc_sep_line\"><\/span><\/span>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-inline-posts\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-inline-posts-container pk-inline-posts-template-list\"\n\t\t\t\tdata-columns=\"1\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article id=\"post-30824\" class=\"post-30824 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail category-featured category-immigration-policy category-resources tag-propertydamage\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-post-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-post-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-overlay pk-overlay-ratio pk-ratio-landscape\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-overlay-background\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2025\/11\/06\/what-rights-do-tenants-and-landlords-have-while-facing-ice\/\" class=\"pk-overlay-link\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/2025.10.10_SouthShoreRaids_Featuerd-300x225.jpg\" class=\"attachment-pk-thumbnail size-pk-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"The corner of a multi-story apartment building is seen with broken, boarded-up windows. The South Shore apartment building was raided on Sept. 30 in the middle of the night by multiple federal agencies.\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-post-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<header>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"pk-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2025\/11\/06\/what-rights-do-tenants-and-landlords-have-while-facing-ice\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">What Rights Do Tenants and Landlords Have While Facing ICE?<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"pk-post-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"pk-meta-author meta-author\"><span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/author\/katrina\/\" title=\"View all posts by Katrina Pham, Camilla Forte\">Katrina Pham, Camilla Forte<\/a><\/span><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"sep\">\u00b7<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"pk-meta-date meta-date\"><a href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2025\/11\/06\/what-rights-do-tenants-and-landlords-have-while-facing-ice\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">noviembre 6, 2025<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/header><!-- .entry-header -->\n\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .post-inner -->\n\n\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .post-outer -->\n\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<p>When asked the reason for no inspection in 2023 and before the fire in 2024, a Department of Buildings spokesperson, Nefsa\u2019Hyatt Brown said in an email that the agency is \u201crequired to conduct periodic inspections, not annual.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>After the fire in June 2024, the property sustained substantial damage, including problems with heating. City officials were unable to reach 7756 S. Phillips LLC and Rotenberg, and a receiver was appointed by a judge in July 2024 to help coordinate and vacate the building in November 2024, according to Scott and Brown of the Department of Buildings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe property is currently in receivership, and the receiver is keeping the property vacant and secure,\u201d a spokesperson for the city\u2019s Department of Law said in an email.<\/p>\n<p>Rotenberg did not respond to multiple requests for comment.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"the-states-vetting-system\">The State\u2019s Vetting System<\/h2>\n<p>State officials overseeing ASERAP approved the apartment building to house new arrivals in late March 2024, according to IHDA records obtained by Borderless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen the ASERAP applicant applied, the Illinois Housing Development Authority would screen the address for any active code violations and forward the findings on to the Illinois Department of Human Services for final determination,\u201d said Andrew Field, IHDA\u2019s assistant director of government and public affairs specialist.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis [screening] was done to ensure the health and safety of the asylum seekers as they continued on their path to independence and prosperity in the United States, &#8221; Field said.<\/p>\n<p>ASERAP records from IHDA indicate that state officials found no active building code violations when they approved the building for the program.<\/p>\n<p>Both IHDA and IDHS told Borderless Magazine that ASERAP applicants received \u201ca toolkit to support their housing search, including information on preparing for a unit walk-through, a unit walk-through checklist, and information on tenant rights and responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When asked about the vetting process, Rachel Otwell, director of communications at the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), said landlords had to sign a lease or a lease attestation before submitting an application, which stated they would be required to make necessary improvements to the unit and notify the resident that the building is non-compliant with building code.<\/p>\n<p>Landlords were also required to complete an online application that validated ownership, social security number and a photo ID. If a landlord did not turn over the keys, there were steps to take for funds to be returned and to void the lease, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf the dwelling or building are in violation of [the] building code and\/or the local landlord-tenant ordinance, [the] tenant has the right to terminate the Landlord-Tenant relationship and vacate the dwelling within 30 days,\u201d according to the lease attestation.<\/p>\n<p>After an apartment was accepted into the state\u2019s ASERAP program, guidelines placed responsibility on residents to raise concerns or file complaints if they believed building standards were not being met.<\/p>\n<p>For families like Mariana\u2019s, who faced language barriers and had recently transitioned from poverty and city shelters, understanding the difference between ordinary housing conditions and potential violations in Chicago was often difficult.<\/p>\n<p>Otwell noted that \u201cIDHS, the Illinois Housing Development Authority, and housing partners occasionally fielded complaints from tenants who received assistance from the program. If a landlord faced multiple complaints, they were no longer eligible to receive funding from ASERAP.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>However, it\u2019s unclear how the state tracked these complaints.<\/p>\n<p>Borderless filed multiple records requests for complaints submitted to IHDA and IDHS, but was told neither agency kept those records.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIDHS is not responsible for monitoring complaints about the housing conditions filed by tenants who moved to apartments under the Asylum Seeker Emergency Rental Assistance Program,\u201d the agency wrote to a Borderless Magazine\u2019s records request.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Authority did not maintain a formal complaint process or a complaint intake form,\u201d according to IHDA\u2019s FOIA request response to Borderless. \u201cThere was not a way in which complaints were \u2018filed\u2019 with the Authority,\u201d and \u201cTenants could complain of their housing conditions informally to the Authority or to Authority partners over email or verbally, and records of those verbal communications could include notes in application files.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"after-the-fire\">After the fire<\/h2>\n<p>After escaping through the windows the night of the fire, Mariana and her family watched in horror as firefighters battled the blaze that consumed her apartment.<\/p>\n<p>They waited for answers about her brother-in-law, Urbna Yolmar.<\/p>\n<p>Mariana recalled that one family member tried to rush back in, but they couldn\u2019t save him.<\/p>\n<p>Yolmar tried to open the door to the hallway, hoping to help the family escape, but he got trapped by the smoke, the family told Borderless Magazine.<\/p>\n<p>He was pronounced dead shortly after 6:30 a.m. He died of smoke inhalation after the stairs collapsed in the building, according to Chicago Police Department records.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t<div class=\"wpb_widgetised_column wpb_content_element\">\n\t\t<div id=\"sidebar\" data-nectar-ss=\"true\" class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<div id=\"custom_html-4 1articleright\" class=\"widget_text widget widget_custom_html\"><h3 id=\"wordpress-popular-posts-2\" class=\"widget-title\">WordPress Popular Posts<\/h3><div class=\"textwidget custom-html-widget\"><h4 id=\"trending-posts-2\" class=\"widget-title\">Trending Posts<\/h4><div class=\"wpp-shortcode\"><script type=\"application\/json\" data-id=\"wpp-shortcode-inline-js\">{\"title\":\"Trending Posts\",\"limit\":\"3\",\"offset\":0,\"range\":\"custom\",\"time_quantity\":\"124\",\"time_unit\":\"day\",\"freshness\":\"1\",\"order_by\":\"views\",\"post_type\":\"post\",\"pid\":\"\",\"exclude\":\"\",\"cat\":\"\",\"taxonomy\":\"category\",\"term_id\":\"\",\"author\":\"\",\"shorten_title\":{\"active\":false,\"length\":0,\"words\":false},\"post-excerpt\":{\"active\":false,\"length\":0,\"keep_format\":false,\"words\":false},\"thumbnail\":{\"active\":true,\"build\":\"predefined\",\"width\":\"240\",\"height\":\"160\"},\"rating\":false,\"stats_tag\":{\"comment_count\":false,\"views\":false,\"author\":false,\"date\":{\"active\":false,\"format\":\"F j, Y\"},\"category\":false,\"taxonomy\":{\"active\":false,\"name\":\"category\"}},\"markup\":{\"custom_html\":true,\"wpp-start\":\"&lt;ul class=&quot;wpp-list wpp-cardview&quot;&gt;\",\"wpp-end\":\"&lt;\\\/ul&gt;\",\"title-start\":\"&lt;h4 class=&quot;widget-title&quot;&gt;\",\"title-end\":\"&lt;\\\/h4&gt;\",\"post-html\":\"&lt;li&gt;{thumb} {title} {stats}&lt;\\\/li&gt;\"},\"theme\":{\"name\":\"\"}}<\/script><div class=\"wpp-shortcode-placeholder\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t<\/div> \n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d66998a4f\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row article-image\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-with-aniamtion-wrap center\" data-max-width=\"100%\" data-max-width-mobile=\"default\" data-shadow=\"none\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" >\r\n      <div class=\"inner\">\r\n        <div class=\"hover-wrap\"> \r\n          <div class=\"hover-wrap-inner\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-animation skip-lazy \" data-delay=\"0\" height=\"1280\" width=\"1920\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-240x160.jpg 240w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-1245x830.jpg 1245w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_03-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1450px) 75vw, (min-width: 1000px) 85vw, 100vw\" \/>\r\n         <\/div>\r\n      <\/div><span class=\"vc_figure-caption ccfic-text media-caption\">Burned windows remain exposed on the top floor of a building on E. 78th Street in South Shore on Sept.26, 2024, where a deadly fire broke out in June 2024. <\/span><span class=\"media-credit\">Oscar Gomez\/Borderless Magazine<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d669997c2\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-8 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<p>Mariana\u2019s young son, Adrian, suffered \u201c75% full-thickness burns\u201d and died three days later at Comer Children\u2019s Hospital, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner\u2019s report.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI said goodbye to Adrian, and the hospital gave me his blanket and a small stuffed animal toy,\u201d Mariana said, her voice trembling.<\/p>\n<p>The Cook County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office ruled Adrian\u2019s death a homicide. A preliminary investigation by the Chicago Fire Department and Chicago Police Department labeled the fire arson that originated in the \u201cinterior stairways or ramp,\u201d according to CFD records. No arrests have been made, and the homicide investigation remains ongoing, according to the Chicago Police Department.<\/p>\n<p>The arson investigation, however, remains suspended pending the outcome of the homicide investigation, CPD said in an email.<\/p>\n<p>Mariana\u2019s three-year-old nephew was also hospitalized. He was traumatized by the fire and didn\u2019t talk to anyone for days, the family said.<\/p>\n<p>After the fire, tenants were temporarily relocated to hotels, and Mariana\u2019s family was sent to another migrant shelter. The family received support from shelter staff, a hospital social worker, her son\u2019s school, the Red Cross, and a local church, which helped the family find funds to cover funeral and cremation expenses and assisted with resettlement in another apartment.<\/p>\n<p>A report from the Chicago Police Department obtained by Borderless Magazine stated that the fire damage resulted in a collapsed staircase and left the building uninhabitable. In the weeks that followed, the Department of Buildings filed a lawsuit in July 2024 after the owner failed to maintain it in a \u201csafe condition,\u201d Deputy Buildings Commissioner Scott said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe occupants were returned to the portion of the building that was not fire-damaged after the power had been restored,\u201d said Scott. \u201cHowever, the owner has failed to make the necessary repairs to turn on the heat, so it is no longer safe for anyone to stay in the building.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Buildings worked with the Law Department to file a case in the Circuit Court of Cook County in July 2024, according to former Director of Public Affairs Michael Puccinelli.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no heat in the building and the receiver cannot safely restore heat due to the fire damage that the owner failed to repair, a limited receiver was appointed by the Court and was authorized to vacate and secure the building and to provide relocation assistance in the amount of $1,500.00 for each occupied unit,&#8221; he said in July 2024.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Buildings also ordered the property owner to have a watchman at the site between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. for \u201cvacant and dangerous residential premises,\u201d building records show.<\/p>\n<p>Five months after the fire, tenants were ultimately relocated out of the apartment building safely by a neutral, third-party individual appointed by the court.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d6699a762\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row article-image\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-with-aniamtion-wrap center\" data-max-width=\"100%\" data-max-width-mobile=\"default\" data-shadow=\"none\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" >\r\n      <div class=\"inner\">\r\n        <div class=\"hover-wrap\"> \r\n          <div class=\"hover-wrap-inner\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-animation skip-lazy \" data-delay=\"0\" height=\"1280\" width=\"1920\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-240x160.jpg 240w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-1245x830.jpg 1245w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_04-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1450px) 75vw, (min-width: 1000px) 85vw, 100vw\" \/>\r\n         <\/div>\r\n      <\/div><span class=\"vc_figure-caption ccfic-text media-caption\">A children\u2019s tricycle is left on the lawn in front of the building Mariana Pe\u00f1a Ram\u00edrez and her family once lived on E. 78th Street in South Shore.<\/span><span class=\"media-credit\">Oscar Gomez\/Borderless Magazine<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d6699b3a7\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-8 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<h2 id=\"searching-for-answers\">Searching for Answers<\/h2>\n<p>On Chicago\u2019s West Side, Mariana clutches her 7-year-old son\u2019s small blue blanket in a sparsely furnished apartment.<\/p>\n<p>It smells of her son.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t wash any of these because they have his smell,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<p>More than a year after the fire, Mariana\u2019s nightmares of the night of the fire never end.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe moment I close my eyes, everything happens at once,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Mariana still clings to the hope that the person responsible for the fire will be found. \u201cThey don\u2019t know the pain they caused\u2026We lost two lives who had their future ahead of them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really want to know why they did it,\u201d she said. \u201cThey took away my son\u2019s life\u2014he was just a child.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For now, her family remains caught between grief and survival, trying to piece together a future in a city that promised so much but delivered unimaginable loss.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt would be like picking up where we left off\u2026with the plans we initially had in mind,\u201d Mariana\u2019s sister says. \u201cThis time without two people, but I think we have to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even with therapy, the memories of the fire and her son haunt her.<\/p>\n<p>Mariana holds on to a blanket and a framed print of her son\u2019s electrocardiogram readings \u2014 her last connection to Adrian.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d6699c2c8\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row article-image\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-12 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"img-with-aniamtion-wrap center\" data-max-width=\"100%\" data-max-width-mobile=\"default\" data-shadow=\"none\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" >\r\n      <div class=\"inner\">\r\n        <div class=\"hover-wrap\"> \r\n          <div class=\"hover-wrap-inner\">\r\n            <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-with-animation skip-lazy \" data-delay=\"0\" height=\"1280\" width=\"1920\" data-animation=\"fade-in\" src=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-scaled.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-240x160.jpg 240w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-600x400.jpg 600w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-900x600.jpg 900w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-1200x800.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-1245x830.jpg 1245w, https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_05-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1450px) 75vw, (min-width: 1000px) 85vw, 100vw\" \/>\r\n         <\/div>\r\n      <\/div><span class=\"vc_figure-caption ccfic-text media-caption\">Mariana Pe\u00f1a Ramirez keeps a framed print of her son, Adrian\u2019s, ultrasound.<\/span><span class=\"media-credit\">Oscar Gomez\/Borderless Magazine<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n\t\t<div id=\"fws_69d2d6699ceb3\"  data-column-margin=\"default\" data-midnight=\"dark\"  class=\"wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_row\"  style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; \"><div class=\"row-bg-wrap\" data-bg-animation=\"none\" data-bg-animation-delay=\"\" data-bg-overlay=\"false\"><div class=\"inner-wrap row-bg-layer\" ><div class=\"row-bg viewport-desktop\"  style=\"\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"row_col_wrap_12 col span_12 dark left\">\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-8 wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col top_padding_desktop_0pct bottom_padding_desktop_0pct \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element \" >\n\t<p>\u201cHe was our reason for everything,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like Adrian is still with me\u2026 I carry his ashes, but the pain doesn\u2019t leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><i>Fatema Hosseini is a former Roy W. Howard Investigative Reporting fellow covering immigrant communities for Borderless Magazine.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n\n\t<div  class=\"vc_col-sm-2 vc_hidden-sm vc_hidden-xs wpb_column column_container vc_column_container col no-extra-padding inherit_tablet inherit_phone \"  data-padding-pos=\"all\" data-has-bg-color=\"false\" data-bg-color=\"\" data-bg-opacity=\"1\" data-animation=\"\" data-delay=\"0\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"vc_column-inner\" >\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div> \n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Un incendio en un apartamento de Chicago desplaz\u00f3 a 23 residentes, cobr\u00f3 dos vidas, y dej\u00f3 a sobrevivientes como Mariana Pe\u00f1a Ram\u00edrez en busca de justicia.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":149,"featured_media":28958,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[325,855,1,66],"tags":[904],"coauthors":[639],"class_list":{"0":"post-31765","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environmentandhealth","8":"category-featured","9":"category-immigration-policy","10":"category-investigation","11":"tag-arson"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Migrant Family Mourns Child\u2019s Death and Seeks Justice After Deadly Arson in Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"More than a year after a fire in a Chicago apartment displaced 23 residents and claimed two lives, survivors like Mariana Pe\u00f1a Ram\u00edrez are seeking justice.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-incendio-provocado-venezuela-recien-llegados\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u2018They Took Away My Son\u2019s Life\u2019: A Migrant Family Grapples with Loss After a Deadly Arson &#8211; Investigation &#8211; Borderless Magazine NFP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u2018They Took Away My Son\u2019s Life\u2019: A Migrant Family Grapples with Loss After a Deadly Arson &#8211; Investigation &#8211; Borderless Magazine NFP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-incendio-provocado-venezuela-recien-llegados\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Borderless Magazine NFP\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BorderlessMagazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-13T13:00:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-05T23:47:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_Featured.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Katrina Pham, Camilla Forte\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Escrito por\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fatema Hosseini\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"16 minutos\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label3\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data3\" content=\"Katrina Pham, Camilla Forte\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/13\\\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/13\\\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fatema Hosseini\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3207ac212de3bb1c4e28e613e4a4ecde\"},\"headline\":\"\u2018They Took Away My Son\u2019s Life\u2019: A Migrant Family Grapples with Loss After a Deadly Arson\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-13T13:00:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-05T23:47:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/13\\\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":7572,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/13\\\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/2024_10_10_Arson_Featured.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"arson\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Environment and Health\",\"Featured\",\"Immigration Policy\",\"Investigation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/es\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/13\\\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/13\\\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\\\/\",\"name\":\"Migrant Family Mourns Child\u2019s Death and Seeks Justice After Deadly Arson in Chicago\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/13\\\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/13\\\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/2024_10_10_Arson_Featured.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-13T13:00:45+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-05T23:47:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"More than a year after a fire in a Chicago apartment displaced 23 residents and claimed two lives, survivors like Mariana Pe\u00f1a Ram\u00edrez are seeking justice.\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/13\\\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/13\\\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/2024_10_10_Arson_Featured.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/09\\\/2024_10_10_Arson_Featured.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1280,\"caption\":\"Mariana Pe\u00f1a Ram\u00edrez, from Venezuela, lost her 7-year-old son, Adrian, during a fire in her former apartment building in Chicago\u2019s South Shore neighborhood.\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/\",\"name\":\"Borderless Magazine NFP\",\"description\":\"Stories about immigration and immigrants\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#organization\"},\"alternateName\":\"Borderless\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"es\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Borderless Magazine NFP\",\"alternateName\":\"Borderless Mag\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/BorderlessLogo_main_square.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/wordpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/08\\\/BorderlessLogo_main_square.jpg\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"Borderless Magazine NFP\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/BorderlessMagazine\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/borderless_mag\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.tiktok.com\\\/@borderless_mag\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3207ac212de3bb1c4e28e613e4a4ecde\",\"name\":\"Fatema Hosseini\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"es\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/32788f1939b4475878cde55a87a14f85d9c01ed832b6dbe41dc3483c6939fde9?s=96&d=mm&r=g5e3005c8a8c327451c3779f6e9ce6a7e\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/32788f1939b4475878cde55a87a14f85d9c01ed832b6dbe41dc3483c6939fde9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/32788f1939b4475878cde55a87a14f85d9c01ed832b6dbe41dc3483c6939fde9?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fatema Hosseini\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/borderlessmag.org\\\/es\\\/author\\\/fatema-hosseini\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Una familia de inmigrantes llora la muerte de su hijo y pide justicia tras un incendio provocado en Chicago","description":"Un incendio en un apartamento de Chicago desplaz\u00f3 a 23 residentes, cobr\u00f3 dos vidas, y dej\u00f3 a sobrevivientes como Mariana Pe\u00f1a Ram\u00edrez en busca de justicia.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-incendio-provocado-venezuela-recien-llegados\/","og_locale":"es_MX","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u2018They Took Away My Son\u2019s Life\u2019: A Migrant Family Grapples with Loss After a Deadly Arson &#8211; Investigation &#8211; Borderless Magazine NFP","og_description":"\u2018They Took Away My Son\u2019s Life\u2019: A Migrant Family Grapples with Loss After a Deadly Arson &#8211; Investigation &#8211; Borderless Magazine NFP","og_url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-incendio-provocado-venezuela-recien-llegados\/","og_site_name":"Borderless Magazine NFP","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BorderlessMagazine","article_published_time":"2026-01-13T13:00:45+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-05T23:47:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1280,"url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_Featured.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Katrina Pham, Camilla Forte","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Escrito por":"Fatema Hosseini","Tiempo de lectura":"16 minutos","Written by":"Katrina Pham, Camilla Forte"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/"},"author":{"name":"Fatema Hosseini","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3207ac212de3bb1c4e28e613e4a4ecde"},"headline":"\u2018They Took Away My Son\u2019s Life\u2019: A Migrant Family Grapples with Loss After a Deadly Arson","datePublished":"2026-01-13T13:00:45+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-05T23:47:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/"},"wordCount":7572,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_Featured.jpg","keywords":["arson"],"articleSection":["Environment and Health","Featured","Immigration Policy","Investigation"],"inLanguage":"es","copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/","name":"Una familia de inmigrantes llora la muerte de su hijo y pide justicia tras un incendio provocado en Chicago","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_Featured.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-13T13:00:45+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-05T23:47:21+00:00","description":"Un incendio en un apartamento de Chicago desplaz\u00f3 a 23 residentes, cobr\u00f3 dos vidas, y dej\u00f3 a sobrevivientes como Mariana Pe\u00f1a Ram\u00edrez en busca de justicia.","inLanguage":"es","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/2026\/01\/13\/chicago-aserap-arson-fire-venezuelan-new-arrivals\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_Featured.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/2024_10_10_Arson_Featured.jpg","width":1920,"height":1280,"caption":"Mariana Pe\u00f1a Ram\u00edrez, from Venezuela, lost her 7-year-old son, Adrian, during a fire in her former apartment building in Chicago\u2019s South Shore neighborhood."},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/","name":"Revista Borderless NFP","description":"Historias sobre inmigraci\u00f3n e inmigrantes","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#organization"},"alternateName":"Borderless","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"es"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#organization","name":"Revista Borderless NFP","alternateName":"Borderless Mag","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BorderlessLogo_main_square.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/BorderlessLogo_main_square.jpg","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"Borderless Magazine NFP"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BorderlessMagazine","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/borderless_mag\/","https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@borderless_mag"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3207ac212de3bb1c4e28e613e4a4ecde","name":"Fatema Hosseini","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"es","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32788f1939b4475878cde55a87a14f85d9c01ed832b6dbe41dc3483c6939fde9?s=96&d=mm&r=g5e3005c8a8c327451c3779f6e9ce6a7e","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32788f1939b4475878cde55a87a14f85d9c01ed832b6dbe41dc3483c6939fde9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/32788f1939b4475878cde55a87a14f85d9c01ed832b6dbe41dc3483c6939fde9?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fatema Hosseini"},"url":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/author\/fatema-hosseini\/"}]}},"cc_featured_image_caption":{"caption_text":"Mariana Pe\u00f1a Ram\u00edrez, from Venezuela, lost her 7-year-old son, Adrian, during a fire in her former apartment building in Chicago\u2019s South Shore neighborhood.","source_text":"","source_url":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/149"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31765"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31778,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31765\/revisions\/31778"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31765"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/borderlessmag.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=31765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}