Two Chicago suburbs rejected busloads of immigrants that arrived from El Paso, Texas, over the past week.
According to the Chicago Tribune, several buses arrived at the public transportation stations in Cicero, Illinois, and Rosemont, Illinois, near the O’Hare International Airport.
Rosemont police allowed the immigrants to get off the bus if they had someone picking them up, but officers threatened to impound the bus and arrest the driver for endangering the passengers.
“It’s wrong to drop people on the street with nowhere to go,” Cicero town spokesman Ray Hanania said. “We think every community should do this to prevent this. They need to force the state to come up with a better plan for homeless people.”
Chicago suburbs such as Schaumburg, Illinois, and Elk Grove Village, Illinois, have passed ordinances preventing illegal immigrants from being housed in hotels.
“It shouldn’t be all these mayors fixing the problem,” Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said. “It’s not our job. We’re not built to handle this. Hopefully, the federal government says, OK, let’s fix this problem.”
Chicago continues to accept busloads of illegal immigrants, but is suing bus companies and seeking the ability to impound buses and fine owners $3,000 if they don’t follow the city’s rules limiting the frequency of arrivals.
