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Chicago suburbs have begun to crack down on buses of migrants arriving from the southern border with little to no coordination, facing the fallout of increased border crossings that are for the first time in over a year being brought directly to their doorsteps.
For days now, several municipalities outside of Chicago have borne the brunt of Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s unwavering practice of busing migrants across state lines. Buses began arriving outside Chicago after the city tightened restrictions on when and where they could arrive. Over a dozen other suburbs are now using Chicago’s rules as a blueprint so migrants will stop coming unannounced.
Hinsdale — which has received 12 buses since mid-December — became one of the latest to do so. Its village board passed an ordinance on Tuesday to address the issue of unscheduled bus drop-offs at or near their train station.
“As the weather turns dangerously cold, migrant drop-offs unannounced in Hinsdale put in danger lives,” Hinsdale Village President Thomas Cauley said.
Governing boards in several other Chicago-area suburbs took similar action Tuesday. In Lake County, Waukegan, North Chicago, Highwood and Grayslake all approved ordinances to regulate unscheduled buses, as did Buffalo Grove, which includes parts of Lake and Cook counties. Many other suburbs approved similar measures in recent weeks.
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More than 70 buses containing nearly 3,000 asylum-seekers have been dropped at DuPage County train stations since mid-December en route to Chicago from Texas, according to data provided by the DuPage County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
“Our goal remains to provide a secure and smooth transition for these new arrivals after they have traveled such great distances. The reports I’ve received indicate these passengers are moving peacefully off the buses, through the train stations, causing no incidents,” said County Board Chair Deborah Conroy in a news release.
The ordinances ask for more coordination to avoid leaving migrants outside, exposed to the cold and without food and water.
Cauley blamed the unexpected bus arrivals on Chicago’s ordinance “restricting the flow of migrants.”
Chicago rules require drop-offs to occur on weekdays between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Buses face “seizure and impoundment” for unloading passengers outside of approved hours and locations, and $3,000 fines.
Bus drivers have given migrants train tickets to the city, but Metra police receive no advance notice, authorities said.
“They just don’t know when and where it’s going to happen,” said Metra spokesperson Michael Gillis in a statement.
Twice now Abbott has sent migrants to Chicago on chartered planes with little notice. A Boeing 777 coming from San Antonio with over 350 migrants landed at Rockford International Airport Sunday afternoon, 84 miles from Chicago’s West Loop loading zone for arrivals. Migrants were then bused from Rockford to Chicago.
Buses have stopped arriving in other municipalities that have passed ordinances, Cauley said, and he hoped the same would happen in Hinsdale.
Residents at the meeting expressed frustration and worry about public safety. Some asked for a complete ban on migrants.
Hinsdale resident Liz McCloy, 64, applauded the local police for responding to the chaotic arrival of migrants. She said she rides the train every morning — the same train that migrants have been boarding for a little over a week.
“I was on this morning at 7 o’clock with a gentleman and his 8-year-old child, and he was very concerned that she was going to contract an illness that maybe one of the migrants — or illegals, whatever you want to call it — had brought along,” McCloy told the village board.
Michelle Ptak, who has lived in Hinsdale for eight years, said she saw two migrants with ankle monitors and it concerned her.
“I would like to know who those two men were,” she said.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement sometimes uses ankle bracelets as a way for authorities to supervise individuals waiting for immigration court proceedings. They act as a less restrictive and more humane form of detention, according to the National Immigration Forum.
Hinsdale’s ordinance passed unanimously. It asks for five days’ advance notice and completion of an application that, among other things, requires an explanation of how migrants will be cared for before a busload of migrants can be dropped off. Buses that violate the ordinance face seizure and impoundment, and a fee of $750.
Other ordinances look similar. They require the bus companies to apply for permits with the municipality prior to the arrival date and outline set days and times for bus arrivals. Some municipalities also require a manifest of the passengers on the bus. Various fine amounts will be imposed for not following the ordinances.
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Dulce Ortiz, executive director of Mano a Mano Family Resource Center in Round Lake Park, said regulations on buses do ensure safety and security for migrants, but she also worries they could cause bus companies to act recklessly.
“It’s a good thing, but I think it’s like a double-edged sword,” she said. “(The bus drivers) are like, ‘If all these cities pass these ordinances, why can’t we just cross the state line and drop them off anywhere, like the southern part of the state?’”
Buffalo Grove has received no migrant drop-offs this year but passed an ordinance Tuesday night due to “concern for the health and safety of potential passengers arriving,” according to Tim Kirsininkas, Buffalo Grove’s communications coordinator.
“This ordinance does not put any burden on passengers but rather requires bus operators and owners to plan for humane care and proper coordination. Unlike many other communities, (Buffalo Grove)’s train stations have very limited service to Chicago, only running during early daytime hours on weekdays,” said Kirsininkas in a statement to the Tribune.
Joliet also passed an ordinance Tuesday night without having received migrants. A spokesperson for the mayor’s office said they passed regulations because they were worried migrants were arriving in flip-flops and T-shirts, completely unprepared for the cold Chicago weather.
According to a statement from Joliet Mayor Terry D’Arcy, the City Council enacted the ordinance “to require operators of unscheduled intercity buses to gain approval at least five full business days in advance before arriving and dropping off passengers.” Other requirements include a passenger list and background checks.
“Joliet leaders passed this to be in accordance with other municipalities in the region and to update our ordinance to address the issue in a proactive manner,” D’Arcy said.
Migrants are similarly arriving in New York suburbs after Democratic Mayor Eric Adams adopted rules to stop the chaotic arrival of buses. Mayors and communities there are feeling the strain and also saying they don’t have the resources to respond.
Nick Skokna, 60, told the Tribune after the Hinsdale meeting Tuesday that he wants to help, but thinks that the village is ill-equipped. Skokna has lived in Hinsdale for over 30 years and has 10 children between the ages of 15 and 32.
“I can feel their pain. These people come in with children and have nowhere to go,” he said. “You want to help them, but you just don’t know how.”
Christmas wreaths adorned the doors of the Memorial Building at 19 E. Chicago Ave. in Hinsdale.
“I hate when they say migrants. They’re illegal aliens!” said one woman to the group gathered outside.
More than 29,000 migrants in 630 buses have come to Chicago since August 2022. There were 14,681 migrants staying in 27 city-run shelters in Chicago, as of Jan. 3.
The Lake County News-Sun’s Chloe Hills and The Associated Press contributed.