Elmhurst mayor clarifies procedure for transporting migrants to Chicago

Elmhurst Mayor Scott Levin recently addressed the migrant busing situation and how it has affected the community. He also clarified the procedure that involves migrants arriving via bus in Elmhurst before being transported to Chicago.

The following is Levin’s statement to the community:

Over the past week, seven busloads of migrants, all people who are seeking asylum, have arrived from Texas at Elmhurst’s Metra station. This has caused significant consternation in our community. There is a great deal of misinformation being disseminated on social media with respect to the migrant situation, its effect on our city and how we are handling it.

First, it is important to understand what is happening. The city of Chicago recently adopted an ordinance that requires a structure with respect to how the buses transporting migrants arrived in Chicago, including requiring advance notice, specifying the hours when buses will be accepted and setting a limit of two buses per hour. As a direct result, the governor of Texas has redirected buses to suburban locations and refused to communicate when and where buses will arrive.

Buses have arrived in many Chicagoland communities, including DuPage County. Since Dec. 14, 49 buses have arrived at train stations in DuPage County with 2,081 passengers, according to the DuPage Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Seven buses have arrived at the Elmhurst Metra station, each containing 30 to 50 people. On each bus, there has been a handler, or coordinator, who made sure that each passenger had a Metra ticket for transportation to the Ogilvie Transportation Center and to assist the train boarding process.

All but a handful of the bus passengers boarded trains to Chicago, where city of Chicago teams guided them to Chicago’s landing zone, being the only designated location in the state of Illinois for asylum-seekers. Less than five passengers were met by private automobiles and transported by friends or families to other locations. Of the five buses, passengers remained on the bus until the train arrived in the station. Passengers in the other two buses disembarked and waited in the station until a train arrived. Each train has been met by Elmhurst public safety officers, who are present to ensure the safety of the passengers and our residents. Elmhurst notifies DuPage County of each bus and Metra and the city of Chicago are notified in turn so that they may accommodate the passengers.

There have been no incidents whatsoever and few resources expended. We have no knowledge that any of the few migrants who did not board the train to Chicago have committed any wrongdoing in Elmhurst. Chicago officials have advised that they will continue to operate the landing zone and accept all of the arriving migrants.

Although a small number of communities have adopted emergency ordinances to require bus companies to provide advance notice, I do not believe that we need such an ordinance at this time. The city of Chicago ordinance caused unintended consequences, being migrant buses directed to suburbs. We do not want a situation where these buses discharge their passengers at other locations, such as expressway exits, from where the passengers would be required to walk to the Metra station in dangerously cold weather. We have a number of contingency plans in place, and in the event that an ordinance might be required in the future, we are prepared to address it directly.

I have personally raised the migrant busing issue with the DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference, an organization whose members include all 35 municipalities in DuPage County. As a result of this effort, a working group is presently being formed through the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, which includes nine organizations of mayors/managers that are similar to DMMC, to address the migrant issue, including coordination with the city of Chicago. Finally, I have spoken directly with DuPage County Board Chair Deb Conroy and have been assured that the county is continuing to monitor and coordinate the migrant situation and appropriate responses to the migrant bus situation.

A few other notes. First, there is no threat to our residents’ public safety, which is our first priority. Second, city staff, including our police and fire departments and Emergency Services and Disaster officer, continue to monitor the migrant situation and meet and handle each bus that arrives.

Elmhurst is a caring community and a number of people have expressed the desire to bring food and clothing to the train station. Under our current plan, we request that the migrant passengers remain on the bus until a Metra train arrives so that they do not have to transfer to the train station and then to the train. Depending upon the time of day, our train station may be substantially occupied with commuters.

There is neither room nor a structure to receive and distribute food and clothing. Moreover, we have been advised that the bus passengers should not be taking on additional belongings and that their needs will be met when they reach the landing station in Chicago. For those residents who want to assist asylum-seekers by donating food, clothing or small household items, please visit the website that has been set up for that purpose: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/texas-new-arrivals/home/donations.html.

Finally, city staff and the City Council will continue to monitor the migrant bus situation and make any changes that may be necessary as we go forward. In the event of any significant changes, information will be posted on the city website.

I wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous new year.