Migrants sleeping outside Chicago police stations brace for winter: ‘We aren’t prepared’

Jose Gregorio Mendoza Leal (right) sits inside a makeshift tent outside the Town Hall District police station with his wife Yohana Mendoza. He said conditions are especially tough on their daughter Yohanyelis, 6, (center) and his elderly father. “It feels worse when you have kids because when it’s cold you feel powerless. We don’t have a way to shelter from the cold. We have a lot of clothes, but it’s not the same as a house.” (Emmanuel Camarillo/Sun-Times)

Even as temperatures drop, Yaritsa Leal and a dozen of her family members are sleeping outside the Town Hall District police station as there isn’t enough room for them inside.

They’ve jury-rigged a tent to shield them from the elements, but it’s not enough to keep out Chicago weather.