The village of Brookfield has joined several other Chicago suburbs in passing an ordinance to regulate unscheduled bus stops that bring migrants from the southern border.
The ordinance, which was approved by the village board special meeting Jan. 3, requires transportation companies to submit an application to the village at least five days before making a stop at the village and dropping off people.
The village will respond within four days and may approve or deny the request.
Brookfield village president Michael Garvey said the immigration issue is out of the village’s hands and that this issue is a federal government’s responsibility.
“National immigration policy is not something that’s within the purview of the village board,” Garvey said. “That’s what the federal elected officials are, that’s their responsibility. We don’t take a position on that as a board or individuals.”
Garvey added that the village does not have any long-term facilities or shelters to accommodate the asylum seekers, who are mostly from South and Central America. However, he said, if there is an emergency situation, the village will protect people’s safety and transfer them to the city of Chicago.
“We would protect people safety as long as we could and then we would transport them to the city of Chicago and Cook County, which is what we were asked to do by the mayor of Chicago,” Garvey said.
The ordinance comes amid a record surge of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, driven by worsening economic and political crises in their home countries.
According to the latest Customs and Border Protection data, authorities encountered more than 300,000 migrants nationwide in December, the highest monthly total ever recorded during the Biden administration.
The Biden administration has faced criticism from both sides of the political spectrum for its handling of the migrant crisis. While some immigration advocates have called for greater protections and humanitarian aid for the migrants, some Republicans have accused the administration of being too lenient and failing to secure the border.
Some of the migrants have been transported by bus or plane to other parts of the country, including the Chicago area, where they are either placed in shelters or released to await their immigration hearings.
However, some bus operators have been dropping off migrants in suburban locations without prior coordination, causing confusion and frustration among local officials and residents.
Several Chicago suburbs, such as Forest Park, Hinsdale, Joliet and Buffalo Grove, have passed similar ordinances to Brookfield’s, requiring advance notice and approval for migrant bus drop-offs. Some have also imposed fines or penalties for violating the rules.
The measures have sparked a debate over the role and responsibility of local governments in dealing with the migrant influx. While some have argued that the ordinances are necessary to ensure public order and safety, others have denounced them as discriminatory and inhumane.
During the Brookfield Board of Trustees meeting on Jan. 9, one resident spoke up about his opposition to the migrants coming into the community. James Miller, a Brookfield resident of 30 years, said that the migrants are a gateway to drugs, disease and crime.
“Illegal aliens entering our country and being sent to various places,” Miller said. “This is an assault on our sovereignty, illegal and unconstitutional. Government is of the people by the people for the people.”
