In the Village of Lisle’s Jan. 8 Board meeting, Boy Scout Michael Powell of Lisle brought attention to an overlooked aspect of the recent influx in illegal immigrant drop-offs in suburban areas surrounding Chicago.
Powell addressed the Lisle Village Board with a crucial question regarding the tracking of these arrivals and their movements within suburban communities.
“Does the Village of Lisle know if an illegal immigrant were to get on a train in say, downtown Naperville or Aurora does the village of Lisle know if they were to get off here or if they're getting off directly at Chicago,” Powell said.
The question raised by Powell sheds light on the challenges faced by suburban communities in monitoring the movements of recent migrant arrivals.
Powell's inquiry prompted discussions about the current protocols in place to ensure that migrants placed on trains to Chicago are indeed reaching their intended destination without dispersing into other suburbs.
Safe Suburbs USA, a non-profit organization focused on community safety, acknowledged Powell's question as significant.
"Lisle Boy Scout appears at Lisle Village Meeting tonight and asks a pretty good question,” Safe Suburbs USA said on X.
“He asked when suburb communities place their recent migrant arrivals on trains to Chicago, how do they know if the migrants are staying on the train and are not just getting off and going into other suburbs before reaching the City. We haven’t heard this question asked by anyone yet.”
This development comes in the wake of a notable increase in illegal immigrant drop-offs in suburban areas since December 22. The surge began after the City of Chicago implemented fines and threatened to impound non-compliant buses that drop off illegal immigrants within the city limits without prior notice.
The frequency of these daily drop-offs across the state has been variable, exceeding 10 instances and, at times, involving up to 800 people per day.
The persistent nature of these drop-offs and the escalating numbers have compelled local authorities and communities to reassess their responses and contemplate additional measures to tackle the challenges associated with the influx of illegal immigrants.
In response to the situation, several municipalities have enacted ordinances similar to Chicago's, restricting the options available to bus operators for such drop-offs.
A recent Hinsdale Village Board meeting, where drop-offs were prohibited, revealed that officials had been notified by a bus driver that such occurrences were expected to continue through March.
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