Although Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) continues claiming that his city is “welcoming” toward illegal immigrants, he, alongside the Democratic-led city council, recently enacted strict new rules for bus companies that drop off illegal immigrants in the Windy City.
In November 2023, Johnson and the city council passed a slew of restrictions on bus companies. As of today, the Democratic mayor has imposed hefty fines and has filed 55 lawsuits against bus companies that he calls “rogue companies.”
Chicago mayor launches lawsuits against companies bussing migrants to city
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is taking the immigration crisis in his city head-on – by suing bus companies for delivering migrants to the so-called sanctuary city.
As buses filled with those illegally… pic.twitter.com/13KFGOMFGq
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) December 12, 2023
The fines and lawsuits have been attributed against 77 bus companies, most of which have transported illegal immigrants from Texas to Chicago, among other locations.
A spokesman for Johnson’s office, Cassio Mendoza, said the new rules were enacted to ensure to “safety” of illegal immigrants, adding that Chicago “continues to welcome asylum-seekers but the city cannot safely and efficiently shelter migrants when bus companies, contracted by the State of Texas, flagrantly violate all safety measures that the city has in place.”
The new rules set parameters for when, where, and how often buses can drop off illegal immigrants in the Windy City. The rules claim that buses can only drop off unlawful migrants between 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and that no more than two buses can drop off passengers every hour.
The rules also restrict the bus companies from entering Chicago unless they have filed for permission, which city hall can easily deny.
Johnson’s new rules would also fine every bus that drops off illegal immigrants outside of the approved times $3,000.
The rules come after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) admitted that he transported over 15,000 illegal immigrants from the Lone Star State to Chicago.
Abbott is not the only politician who has sent unlawful migrants to Chicago. The Democratic mayor of El Paso, Texas, too, has sent the Windy City some illegal immigrants. On top of that, the Biden administration has also sent its fair share of migrants to the city.
A bulk of the illegal immigrants in Chicago are from Venezuela, considering that President Joe Biden chose to exempt them from deportation until October 2023.
Since May 2023, nearly 500 buses have arrived in the Windy City to drop off illegal immigrants.
