Chicago’s South Side is becoming a battleground as local gangs and recently arrived Venezuelan migrants, including members of the Tren de Aragua gang, vie for control. Tyrone Muhammad, a former Gangster Disciples member who now runs a violence prevention program, believes the conflict is reaching a dangerous tipping point. “It’s impossible to have these criminal gangs moving into our already broken communities,” Muhammad warned, noting the increasing violence and lack of attention from city officials.
The city’s strained African-American neighborhoods are feeling the impact of the migrant crisis, which has cost Chicago nearly $500 million since 2022. Venezuelan migrants, many of whom belong to the violent Tren de Aragua gang, have reportedly been receiving housing, financial aid, and other benefits, further fueling resentment among local residents.
Muhammad and other community leaders are concerned that this could lead to an eruption of violence. “When the Black gangs get fed up with the criminal activities of these migrants, there’s nothing the National Guard or the government can do,” Muhammad cautioned.
Corey Rogers, a community organizer from the Black P. Stone Nation, highlighted how divided local gangs are compared to the Venezuelans. He pointed to gang-related WhatsApp threads threatening turf wars, saying, “The last thing we need are these migrants bringing more violence to our streets.”
Concerns about rising crime linked to the migrant influx have been supported by police reports documenting incidents such as drug dealing, carjackings, and sex trafficking at various shelters housing the migrants. Yet many locals feel abandoned by city officials, including Mayor Brandon Johnson, whose office did not respond to inquiries about the growing conflict.
