Morton Grove, Park Ridge, Niles, Skokie, Lincolnwood making plans in case buses drop off migrants

Now that bus companies have dropped off migrants at Metra stations in many suburbs and some migrants wearing only summer clothes have been left out in the cold, officials in Morton Grove, Park Ridge, Skokie, Lincolnwood and other northern suburbs with train or bus access into Chicago are making plans in case migrants should arrive in their towns.

Morton Grove’s Village Board was scheduled to vote at its Jan. 9 meeting on an ordinance allowing the village to fine bus companies that drop off more than 10 passengers without coordinating with Morton Grove police.

Morton Grove Village Manager Ralph Czerwinski said the ordinance was similar to what other suburban villages do to crack down on unscheduled drop-offs of migrants who arrive on buses from Texas. Last week, Waukegan, North Chicago, Highwood and Grayslake all approved ordinances to regulate bus drop-offs.

Bus companies that violate the ordinance could be fined up to $750 per person dropped off, and the bus seized and impounded by the village, according to the ordinance.

The ordinance said bus companies looking to drop off people in Morton Grove will need to fill out a Morton Grove Police Department application 10 days in advance. The ordinance would allow drop-offs to be scheduled at the Morton Grove Metra station from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, excluding federal holidays.

Czerwinski said if migrants arrived at the Metra station, the village’s fire and police departments would respond to their immediate needs and coordinate with Metra to get them to Chicago’s designated location at 800 S. Des Plaines St. Czerwinski said the village would also collaborate with the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications and the Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security.

If an incident were to occur, as it did this past weekend in Glen Ellyn when migrants were dropped off at the Metra station just as the last train of the night had left the station, leaving them to wait five hours for the morning train, Czerwinski said migrants would be able to stay temporarily at the Metra station for the night and take the next train to Chicago in the morning. He said Pace could also provide warming buses if the station reached its limit. He clarified that migrants would only stay at the Metra station until they would be able to get on the next inbound train.

Park Ridge Mayor Marty Maloney said the city would not seek to adopt an ordinance that would restrict unscheduled bus stops in Park Ridge. Maloney said that in discussions between the city’s staff and the city attorney, staff concluded that an ordinance would not be effective.

According to Park Ridge’s plan, if a bus were to unload passengers in Park Ridge, Park Ridge police would redirect the bus to Chicago. If passengers were already dropped off in Park Ridge, they would be sheltered at either the Dee Road or Uptown Metra station, whichever is closest. Park Ridge police would contact Metra Police and assist in getting people on the next inbound train to Chicago, according to the plan.

The plan said Park Ridge would facilitate the transportation of people to Chicago and that Park Ridge does not have the resources or infrastructure to accommodate people on a long-term basis.

Lincolnwood does not have a Metra station but has a border and bus connections with Chicago. Assistant Village Manager Charles Meyer said the village has a plan in place, overseen by the police department, to coordinate with the Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communications and the Cook County Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security to transport migrants to the designated location within the city of Chicago that has appropriate resource to accept the migrants.

Skokie’s Communications and Community Engagement Director Patrick Deignan said village officials had made plans to ensure people could get to Chicago’s landing site for migrants if they should be dropped off without any announcement. Skokie does not have a Metra station but has two CTA Yellow Line stations, which provide transit connections to Chicago.

Niles’ Deputy Police Chief Nick Zakula said the department would direct buses to Chicago, should they arrive in Niles. He said the village does not have a designated location where the buses can drop off passengers. Niles does not have a Metra station but shares a border and bus connections with Chicago.

Zakula shared a draft of a proposed ordinance, that the Village Board may vote on at its next meeting, that would ban the unscheduled drop-off of passengers in the village. The document showed that the village is considering fines between $300 and $1,500 if a person drops off passengers without coordinating with the village’s police department. The ordinance said a bus could also be seized and impounded, and the owner of the bus could be ordered to pay an additional $750 administrative fee.