City Hall could soon be increasing its transparency on the contentious matter of migrants being ousted from Chicago's shelters, as a city ordinance gained momentum Wednesday. The proposal, which cruised through the council's Immigration Committee without objection, mandates city officials to publicly disclose anonymized details of evicted migrants like country of origin, age, gender, and which shelter they were removed from, according to the Chicago Tribune.

While shelters across the city have begun to evict migrants after a two-month stay, the Johnson administration's policy has only led to 24 people being displaced so far. Efforts to maintain some sort of exemptions for vulnerable individuals such as families with children and those with serious health issues have been detailed. Yet this policy has been met with much confusion, leaving even volunteers in the dark about when migrants might be forcibly uprooted. Ald. Andre Vasquez highlighted the ordinance's potential to provide critical clarity, saying, "Being able to get this tracking right now allows us to dig a little deeper to make sure whatever moves forward is done properly, even if I don’t think we should be doing evictions in the first place," in a statement to the Tribune.

Questions surrounding how many migrants are forced to leave temporary shelters have also surfaced, and the city's efforts in sharing eviction-related information appear to have been limited at best. Mayor Brandon Johnson has not been transparent when pressed for exact figures, simply asserting the need to clear space for new migrants amidst what he brands an "international crisis." New arrivals have slowed, yet the push to vacate migrants persistently remains in place. "As far as numbers in particular, I'll get back to you," Johnson has been quoted as saying by WLS.

Transparency concerns aren't solely resting on the city's shoulders; council members are keen to see improvements themselves. Ald. Vasquez spearheaded the ordinance which would mandate the city to further track and release specific data on migrant evictions and in doing so, help both council members and the public better understand the full scope of the issue. He was quoted expressing his support for the measure: "If you ask the public about the spending of money, they want to know details as to what they are actually doing with that. So, I think providing more information to make that case is absolutely fair," as reported by WLS.

The ordinance is expected to face the full City Council vote on April 17, and if passed, will likely become effective by mid-May, adding to the city code the much-demanded layer of transparency around this deeply human issue. With Chicago's shelters collectively housing more than 10,000 individuals, the availability of such data could illuminate the path forward for the city, the migrants it shelters, and the communities scrambling to provide safety nets for those evicted. Amid calls for housing vouchers and comprehensive support for migrants, the passage of this ordinance could mark a significant step in addressing the city's ongoing humanitarian challenge.