Elburn passes ordinance to address migrants arriving on buses

It was standing room only inside Elburn Village Hall on Dec. 27 for a special meeting of the Village Board to address the possibility of more buses arriving to drop off migrants in the town.

The board was assembled to consider an ordinance to deal with the potential for future busloads of immigrants to the village from the southern border, such as the one that showed up at the Elburn Metra train station Dec. 21.

Ever since Chicago passed an ordinance cracking down on unscheduled arrivals of buses carrying migrants to the city, buses have been arriving in towns and municipalities outside of Chicago, such as Cicero, University Park, Rosemont, Melrose Park, Aurora, Lockport, Kankakee and others.

In response, Grundy County recently posted messages on signs along Interstate 55 over the holiday weekend warning drivers of buses carrying migrants to keep driving.

The signs, placed at the Illinois Route 47 exit and the Gardner Road exit, read “NO MIGRANT BUSES THIS EXIT.” The signs were taken down days later.

According to Elburn Village Administrator John Nevenhoven, the unscheduled chartered bus that arrived in town Dec. 21 made a stop at the Metra train station, with 38 passengers plus a liaison, security guard, and the driver.

Elburn Police Chief Nick Sikora determined that the bus trip originated in Texas, and the passengers, who had pre-paid tickets for the train, were headed to the Ogilvie Transportation Center in Chicago.

All but four of the people boarded the train, with the assistance of Elburn police officers. The remaining migrants had pre-arranged rides from the station.

Nevenhoven said that the situation was handled smoothly, but it did use all available police resources during the event, and a significant amount of staff time afterwards.

The ordinance the Elburn Village Board was considering was similar to that of other municipalities that also have been experiencing unscheduled drop-offs from buses originating in Texas.

Elburn residents and others wishing to find out more about the situation and to voice their concerns filled Village Hall, with the crowd overflowing into the hallway.

Elburn resident and businessman Addam Gonzales said that, as a Hispanic member of the community, he did not see this as a race or ethnicity issue, but a structural one.

“Everything we do for our business, we have to take specific steps and go through hoops,” he said. “If we want to accept people into our community, this is not the way.”

Elburn resident Judy Kaenel said that her concerns for the village were about infrastructure.

“Where would you put them,” she asked. Kaenel also wondered about how policing would be handled, with concerns for safety in Elburn’s neighborhoods.

Elburn resident Maria Perez said, “There’s some doors that we should not open.” “As a legal immigrant, we spent so much time and effort. We went to school, and we did not rely on public services. This is a small community; that’s how we want to keep it.”

Kane County Board Chairman Corinne Pierog was there to assure people that the county administration would do everything they could to ensure these individuals had a safe and uneventful transfer to Chicago.

“It’s not our intention to house, clothe or feed these people,” she said. “This is not their final destination. Chicago is the only welcoming center in the state of Illinois.”

She said she was ready to work with the leaders of the municipalities in the surrounding area to ensure an orderly process.

“You’re on my speed dial,” said Village President Jeff Walter.

Walter said that although Elburn needs to come up with its own plan, there have already been “lots of discussions going on between mayors.”

Police Chief Nick Sikora said that the Kane County Sheriff has also offered his assistance and has identified a small task force to handle future situations if needed.

As the ordinance was discussed among the trustees, the conversation took a brief detour when one of the trustees said he would like to see a ban on any intercity bus coming into Elburn.

“I’m a fan of immigration; it’s what this country was founded on. But what we have here is insanity,” said Chris Hansen. “I’m concerned about the safety of Elburn and its residents. Some of these people are human traffickers, terrorists, drug smugglers….We should be concerned with our own first.”

The comment received applause from many in the room. But trustee Bill Grabarek said that a ban would be a “big mistake without talking to the neighboring communities and without a little more forethought.”

Trustee Pat Schuberg reminded the others that buses from Northern Illinois University and the city of DeKalb regularly drop people off at the train station, and Walter said that the PACE buses deliver older adults for medical appointments.

“Certainly we wouldn’t want to limit our PACE buses to Elburn,” Walter said.

Trustee Ken Anderson suggested the ordinance as written be passed that night, so “there is something on the books” to deal with the current situation.” He said that would give the village time to gather more information and talk to additional entities involved.

“The ordinance can be changed in two weeks,” Anderson said.

Attorney Bill Thomas explained the specifics of the ordinance being considered, saying that it was “designed to create an orderly process.”

The bus companies will be required to fill out applications with the names of all the passengers and background checks on those 18 and over. Applications will be reviewed on a first come, first served basis, and approvals will be required prior to the buses arriving. Arrival times will be limited to Monday through Friday, with restricted hours based on the availability of Elburn’s police officers.

Penalties will be issued for non-compliance for the buses and their operators, with fines of $750 per passenger.

Board members unanimously passed the ordinance.