South Barrington joins suburbs cracking down on migrant buses
With unscheduled deliveries of busloads of migrants who crossed into the U.S. in Texas becoming more common in the suburbs, South Barrington officials Thursday night took action to discourage arrivals in their town.
Companies operating buses that travel to South Barrington from other communities and drop off or pick up passengers in the village without first notifying the police chief or a representative face fines of up to $500 and seizure of the vehicles.
No migrant deliveries have been made in South Barrington. The penalties are necessary, Mayor Paula McCombie said, because the village “is ill-equipped” to manage the offloading of buses without notice.
“Like other municipalities, we are establishing a procedure that allows due process to be provided to all parties involved and procedures that protect the village, its residents and all stakeholders,” McCombie said.
The Elburn village board enacted similar restrictions this week. Rosemont and Chicago did so earlier this month.
Under South Barrington’s ordinance, applications for bus drop-offs must identify the applicant, the proposed stop, the proposed time and duration of the stop and the number of expected vehicles. Additionally, the chief may require certified medical documentation from the passengers to prevent the transmission of tuberculosis, malaria and other contagious diseases, the rules state.
Vehicles owned or leased by the village, the Chicago Transit Authority, the Regional Transportation Authority or Pace are exempt. So are buses exclusively used to transfer people to Amtrak or Metra trains, school buses being used for official activities and other vehicles being used by people who work or live in the village.
The village board approved the regulations without objection, documents indicate. Trustee Hina Patel was absent.
Busloads of migrants sent to Illinois from Texas have dropped off riders in Lombard, Naperville, Elmhurst, Fox River Grove and other Chicago-area communities in recent weeks. Most of the stops were made at Metra stations, and most of the riders subsequently boarded trains headed to Chicago.
Some were picked up by people in cars, authorities have said.
The Metra station nearest to South Barrington is about six miles away in Barrington.
Not every suburb targeted by Texas officials for migrant relocation is taking action to prevent them.
In a Facebook post Thursday following a migrant transport to the Lombard train station, officials there said they’re not planning to regulate bus arrivals.
“However, we will continue to monitor the situation to determine if any further action becomes necessary at the local level,” the post read.
• Daily Herald staff writer Susan Sarkauskas contributed to this report.