Chicago suburb approves $750 fines for unscheduled migrant bus dropoffs
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The village board in west suburban Elburn has approved an ordinance aimed at preventing buses from dropping off migrants without notice.
The move comes after a bus carrying 38 migrants showed up unannounced earlier this month at the Metra station in Elburn, where migrants boarded a train to downtown Chicago.
Village officials said the incident used up all of the available police resources at the time.
A new ordinance approved by the village board on Wednesday requires bus operators to give five business days' notice and gain village approval before loading or unloading passengers. It also requires background checks on passengers over the age of 18.
Elburn will also only approve one bus per operator, per day.
Bus operators that show up without proper notice could be fined $750.
Other suburbs have approved similar laws, after Chicago imposed its own regulations on migrant buses, prompting some companies to drop off migrants in neighboring suburbs, along with Metra tickets or Ventra cards to get them to Chicago.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also chartered a private flight for about 100 migrants earlier this month to avoid Chicago's new bus regulations, and has said more planes will be coming.
