Bus Carrying Migrants Pulls In To Manhattan, Pulls Right Back Out: PD

MANHATTAN, IL — A charter bus believed to be carrying migrants pulled into Manhattan Wednesday afternoon—and as quickly as it arrived, it left.

A photo depicting a Manhattan police cruiser tailing a charter bus was shared on social media, presumed to be the police escorting the bus out of town.

Manhattan Police Chief Jeff Wold said the bus initially pulled into the Manhattan Metra station, where a sign is posted deterring the unscheduled unloading of passengers.

"No unscheduled bus drop-offs," the sign reads, alternating between that message and a second. "Driver and company will be fined."

The bus promptly pulled back out, Wold said. While not quite escorted out of town, Wold said an officer stayed close to ensure the passengers were not unloaded anywhere else as the bus left.

"No tickets or issues," Wold said. "They pulled in and must have seen our sign. The bus was already leaving without discharging any passengers."

Manhattan Mayor Mike Adrieansen and the Village Board late last month issued an executive order restricting intercity buses from unloading passengers without prior approval. That executive order was then ratified at the Jan. 3 Village Board meeting.

Adrieansen's initial issuing of the executive order followed an attempt last month of a bus carrying Texas migrants to drop passengers at the town's Metra station.

"Our goal is to protect our residents' health and safety, and also those who are on these buses," said Mayor Mike Adrieansen when issuing the order. "The Village is not able to provide adequate care for these migrants. We are working with state, county and other regional officials to continue to address these concerns."

Similar to measures passed by the mayors of Tinley Park and New Lenox, Manhattan now requires operators of any intercity buses seeking to make unscheduled stops in Manhattan to apply for permission to do so, a minimum of five days ahead of time. The drivers are also required to conduct background checks on all passengers over the age of 18, and also provide those to police when asked.

Each application for the drop-offs must also include an order authorizing the transfer of passengers signed by the head of the public body associated with it. Applications for unscheduled stops must be approved by Manhattan Police Chief Jeff Wold, and will be set for a specific date, place and location.

Drivers may only arrive no sooner than 30 minutes before, and no later than 30 minutes after the designated times. Any driver attempting to unload passengers outside that designated window will be fined $750 per passenger, the ordinance states.

The order also specifies that the drivers may only make unscheduled stops between 10 a.m and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and not at all on Saturdays, Sundays or Village holidays. The drivers must also carry a digital or physical copy of their approved application.