No Crackdown On Migrant Buses In Elmhurst

ELMHURST, IL – Many Chicago suburbs are enacting regulations dealing with buses full of migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border.

But Elmhurst is among those that have not.

In a news release last month, the city acknowledged two such buses arrived in Elmhurst shortly before Christmas. Five others have arrived since then, the city said.

As in other suburbs, the passengers, many of them from Venezuela and other Latin American countries, were quickly taken to the train station with tickets to go to Chicago. None of them stayed in Elmhurst.

Texas, which is busing the migrants, shifted its routes to the suburbs last month after Chicago passed new restrictions. Violations can result in fines and the seizure of buses.

In a Dec. 29 statement, Mayor Scott Levin acknowledged towns that adopted bus regulations.

"I do not believe that we need such an ordinance at this time," he said. "The City of Chicago ordinance caused unintended consequences, being migrant buses directed to suburbs. We do not want a situation where these buses discharge their passengers at other locations, such as expressway exits, from where the passengers would be required to walk to the Metra station in dangerously cold weather. We have a number of contingency plans in place, and in the event that an ordinance might be required in the future, we are prepared to address it directly."

At Monday's City Council meeting, Elmhurst resident Rocca Maria Balice praised the city for its approach to the migrant crisis.

"I just wanted to express my support and thanks for handling it in a measured, humane way and communicating it thoughtfully to the residents of Elmhurst," Balice said. "There's been a lot of fearmongering on social media and among residents."

She added, "I hope we continue to handle it in such a fashion and remind our fellow residents and neighbors that fear is not a plan or a solution to this issue."

Following the City Council's policy, aldermen did not immediately respond to Balice's comments.

In Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, residents have expressed fear of migrants before their governing bodies enacted bus regulations.

At a Jan. 2 special meeting of the Hinsdale Village Board, residents said migrants may spread illnesses and cause dangers to children. One woman said she saw two migrants wearing ankle bracelets, which she believed indicated that law enforcement was watching them.

A week earlier in Clarendon Hills, a resident warned village officials the migrants would not assimilate and would take away others' freedoms.

Soon after Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills acted, Western Springs took a different route. It announced it would ensure safe bus-to-train passage for migrants if they arrived in the village. Officials gave no signs they would pass bus rules.

In response, a Western Springs resident who is a financial executive in Chicago spoke at a Village Board meeting. He warned of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Chinese Communist Party entering town. And he said "foreign men" would pose dangers to local children.

"By aiding and comforting enemies of the United States, you are most likely committing treason," the resident, Chris Recker, told trustees.