What happened the night a plane filled with asylum seekers landed in Rockford?
With temperatures dipping to 30 degrees in the early morning hours of New Year's Eve, migrant families who went to Texas seeking asylum, found themselves exiting an Eastern Airlines charter plane in Rockford.
Most of the 355 people were children, officials say, and they were wearing t-shirts, shorts and flip flops.
Some migrants covered themselves with blankets as they huddled in a cold they had probably never before experienced. They were handed train tickets and herded onto eight buses chartered by the state of Texas. A ninth bus was ready just in case.
Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana and his deputies had a front row seat to the plane's arrival and the transfer of passengers from the plane to the buses. They were on hand to provide security and an escort.
More: Plane carrying migrants from Texas lands in Rockford
Last-minute scramble
Caruana, who had been in communication with officials from the city of Rockford and the Chicago Rockford International Airport throughout the day Dec. 30, said coordination was "excellent" between Winnebago County and Rockford agencies.
He can't say the same for communication between the state of Texas and Rockford area agencies.
Caruana said there was little notice given that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was sending a plane load of migrants to Rockford as part of what he calls "Operation Lone Star." Landing in Rockford was a way to circumvent ordinances in Chicago requiring proper notification of imminent bus arrivals.
It felt like he was scrambling at the line of scrimmage, calling audibles as the plane arrived hours later than expected, Caruana said. Then there were more than 100 more passengers than officials had been originally told to expect. And although he expected the charter buses to head to the migrant "landing zone" near Union Station in Chicago, he was surprised to see the travelers being given train tickets.
"We were 100% convinced that these buses that came to pick them up — which were on the airport ramp side of the fence, so you know, we had control of what was going on and I had my crime deterrence unit and my patrol people out there to make sure that everything went kosher — and they were given train tickets," Caruana said. "It's like, what's this all about?"
'Voluntary' consent
Seth Christensen, chief of media, communications and preparedness for the Texas Division of Emergency Management said Operation Lone Star transports migrants from overwhelmed border communities to Chicago, Washington D.C., New York City, Philadelphia, Denver and Los Angeles — so called "sanctuary cities" where local police do not enforce immigration laws.
Christensen said his agency works with officials in border communities to identify migrants who have been processed and released by federal authorities into Texas cities. He said non-governmental organizations "coordinate communication about departures and estimated arrivals at locations within the receiving cities."
He said each passenger undergoes a security screening before boarding flights. They also get a temperature check and are offered medical care if unwell.
He said the passengers agree to travel to their destinations.
"Prior to boarding the state-sponsored buses and flights, each migrant signs a voluntary consent to travel waiver," Christensen said.
Planes, trains and buses
The migrants likely didn't know their travel plans included being dropped off at train stations in the middle of a winter night.
Caruana said deputies escorted the eight charter buses to the McHenry County line. He said that if this happens in the future he would better coordinate a hand off with law enforcement to continue an escort.
Caruana said he later learned that two buses dropped passengers off at a train station in Highland Park. The six others stopped at other collar county cities at Metra train stations. From there, the migrants eventually boarded trains to Chicago.
Caruana said he doesn't blame Texas or Gov. Abbott for the growing migrant crisis in Chicago. He said the federal government needs to reform the immigration system and properly vet anyone coming into the country.
'Legal migrants'
Mayor Tom McNamara said Dec. 31 was the first time that such a flight or bus arrived in Rockford.
Officials said rumors of migrants sleeping at the Criminal Justice Center or Public Safety Building are false. After this experience, Rockford and Winnebago County officials have better contacts with officials in collar counties around Chicago and in Texas and are coordinating with law enforcement and emergency responders across the area.
McNamara said that border communities in states like Texas have legitimate concerns about a broken immigration system. But he takes issue with the way Texas is treating migrants.
"They were legal migrants who came through border protection and customs and were seeking asylum," McNamara said. "We have had so many people call them 'illegals' crossing the border. We've had them called you name it. We've seen some real ugliness and hatred come from a few, but very loud people and also have seen tremendous kindness and graciousness."
Jeff Kolkey writes about government, economic development and other issues for the Rockford Register Star. He can be reached at (815) 987-1374, via email at jkolkey@rrstar.com and on Twitter @jeffkolkey.
This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Migrants from Texas weren't ready for Rockford cold
