More migrants arrive in Chicago as suburbs implement bus drop-off restrictions
CHICAGO - Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, on Wednesday, held a virtual press conference with New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston to address the growing migrant crisis. Johnson is calling for work permits to be issued more quickly and for a federally coordinated approach — similar to plans implemented in recent years for Ukrainian and Afghan refugees.
In mid-December, Johnson announced harsher penalties for bus companies that don't follow Chicago's guidelines when transporting migrants from the southern border. In response, some bus drivers have been dodging the city's landing zone, and instead are leaving passengers in the suburbs.
In the the last week, dozens of migrants have been tasked with finding their own way to the city.
After being dumped in the suburbs, many new arrivals board Metra trains and end their journey at Chicago’s Ogilvie Transportation Center. Some are given pre-paid tickets by individuals described as ‘liaisons’ from Texas, while others have been falsely told they are already in the city.
On Wednesday, FOX 32 observed two groups of migrants arriving at Ogilvie – one group around 4:45 p.m., and another group just before 8 p.m.
Experiencing frigid temperatures for the first time, children could be seen wearing oversized clothes from their parents, while others were wrapped in blankets as they exited the train station. Once outside, most of them boarded a bus sent by Chicago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC). Others were picked up by relatives who live in the area.
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One woman, originally from Ecuador, told FOX 32 Chicago she doesn't know the name of the suburb she was originally taken to.
Now the list of suburbs that have already approved or are exploring measures to prevent migrants from being dropped off is growing longer.
"The City of Chicago is ill-equipped to take care of them, there’s no way we should be expecting small suburban communities to be able to do this," said New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann.
Baldermann says they've had police stationed at two Metra stations and have yet to receive any migrant buses; however, they did locate one migrant who was lost and walking along the highway.
"We did have one migrant the other day who was walking down Route 30, we were able to, with our fire department and police department, communicate with this migrant who had said they’d been walking for a day and a half. They were told they were in Chicago and of course they weren’t," said Baldermann. "Our fire department checked them to make sure they were healthy, make sure there was no pending medical issue, and then we were able to put them on a train and send them to the City of Chicago."
Baldermann signed an executive order last week prohibiting unscheduled buses. It remains in effect until the Board of Trustees meets on Monday, Jan. 8 to review and vote on the proposed ordinance.
Similarly, in Elburn, the village board approved an ordinance to restrict "unscheduled intercity buses" on Wednesday evening.
Last Thursday, a bus carrying 38 migrants made an unannounced stop in Elburn, taking the village by surprise. Village officials say an English-speaking liaison had traveled with them and distributed pre-paid Metra tickets to the new arrivals. Most of them boarded a train to Ogilvie, while a handful were picked up by relatives.
Village Administrator John Nevenhoven says they are concerned that buses could start arriving in the middle of the night, leaving migrants stranded with nowhere to go.
"The information that we've been getting, when they've left Texas, prior to getting on the bus, they've indicated where they want to go. So the buses showing up, whether it's in the suburbs or the city, those folks have indicated they want to go to Chicago," Nevenhoven said. "When they show up at our station, fine, let's get them on the train, let's get them downtown. Our concern is that they're going to show up when the trains aren't running, at 1, 2 in the morning. We don't have a place to shelter them, a way to feed them, a way to make sure they are taken care of."
McHenry’s City Council has called a special meeting to vote on a similar ordinance this Friday.
Bus companies that break drop-off rules could rack up thousands of dollars in fines.
Meanwhile, the Kane County Office of Emergency Management, Health Department, and Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday they are in communication with municipalities and law enforcement agencies there to help facilitate the travel of out-of-state asylum seekers to Chicago.
According to the Office of Mayor Johnson, the city has cited at least 95 buses and impounded two buses for violating Chicago’s bus safety ordinance.