More towns act to deter migrant drop-offs

More suburbs this week enacted rules to prevent migrant drop-offs, joining a growing list of municipalities that have adopted similar restrictions over the past month.

The latest regulations were adopted in towns including Palatine, Mount Prospect, Elk Grove Village, Bloomingdale, Libertyville, Mundelein and Oak Lawn.

Unlike the others, Elk Grove Village trustees didn’t pass an ordinance. Instead, Mayor Craig Johnson issued an executive order that includes many of the same rules. That includes a requirement for bus companies to fill out an application giving the village advance notice of drop-offs.

“I’ll tell you now, they’re not going to be allowed to come,” Johnson acknowledged. “But we’re gonna give them the opportunity to fill out the application.”

If buses arrive without notice, the driver could be arrested and the vehicle impounded, with fines ranging from $1,000 to $10,000.

Mount Prospect passed its ordinance Tuesday, with Mayor Paul Hoefert saying, the village does not have the staff, resources or expertise needed to take in migrant groups.

“However, it is our duty as human beings to treat them with kindness and dignity, if they do end up in our village,” he added.

Mount Prospect Trustee William Grossi noted the ordinance would not prevent migrants being bused from Chicago to Mount Prospect.

“We can only draft an ordinance based on what the experience is of the current situation at hand,” Assistant Village Manager Nellie Beckner said. “We have not seen any indication that that’s what’s going to happen.”

In a statement about his town’s ordinance, Bloomingdale Village President Franco Coladipietro calls the migrant drop-offs a cause of concern for the community.

“Should the circumstances warrant, we are prepared to take whatever steps are necessary to protect the health and safety of our residents and the schools in our community,” he said.

In Palatine, which passed its ordinance on Monday, members of the public expressed concern about the migrant issue.

“We have no objections with wanting to help people,” resident Jim Sandgathe said, but added that local people need help as well. “The only way to address this is to make sure that it is done in such a way to ensure that we are not going to be the recipient of this problem.”