Burr Ridge Warned Hotel About Migrants

BURR RIDGE, IL – Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso earlier this month suggested the village had the power to determine which guests local hotels could accept under its village license.

A lawyer by trade, Grasso has not publicly cited the village's legal authority.

The issue came up after the village reported the state sent 64 Venezuelan migrants to the Hampton Inn in Burr Ridge. The village found out about the migrants after they arrived Sept. 7.

At a Village Board meeting five days later, Grasso said the placement of migrants in hotels needed his express approval, after he conferred with the board.

"Migrant issues are not within the customary license of a hotel. That would take a special request to the Village Board for that to ever happen again," the mayor said. "This is our village, our house. We want to know who's here and under what circumstances."

Patch could find no provisions in the village code in which the mayor or Village Board could require a hotel to reject certain groups of paying customers. In this case, the state paid for the lodging.

All along, Grasso said he was told the migrants would not be in the local hotel for more than 30 days. They left after a week and a half.

Two days after the migrants arrived, Grasso emailed Mark Stangle, area general manager of Hampton Inn and other hotels.

"I do not believe the Hampton Inn's business license allows it to operate a sanctuary for legal migrants or refugees – especially without first petitioning the Village, so that we know details that can be weighed and dealt with that best preserve the safety and security of the Village residents and businesses within our resources – and provides answers for many understandable questions," Grasso wrote.

Grasso said the state and the city of Chicago should have informed the village before sending the migrants to Burr Ridge. He said the migrants themselves were not to blame.

At the same time, the mayor said Burr Ridge must always have a say "in what occurs here and whether we wish to participate, how we do so – or not," Grasso said. "Our rights are not secondary to the whims and arrogance of the State or City of Chicago."

He indicated what types of lodgers he would like to see in local hotels.

"These bookings for accommodations of refugees and migrants – paid for with tax dollars apparently – are not bookings of conventions or sporting or tourism events," he said. "These are politically charged events that the Chicago Mayor (Lori Lightfoot) and Governor (J.B.) Pritzker hold press conferences about."

He continued, "Please note that any further bookings will not be allowed without village consent and planning – if at all – I do not believe the Board of Trustees or residents disagree with my position."

Grasso did not cite any specific legal authority in which the village could compel the hotel to reject migrants or lodgers who were there as the result of "politically charged events."

The village code defines a hotel as "an establishment which is open to transient guests ... and which provides customary hotel or motel services such as maid services, the furnishing and laundering of linen, telephone and secretarial or desk service, the use and upkeep of furniture, and bellboy service."

The code says no more than 5 percent of the accommodations in a hotel may be occupied by permanent guests.

The village has asserted no authority to stop swingers parties at another local hotel, in which participants are encouraged to "dress sexy and enjoy a private night out."

Grasso has not returned messages for comment.