By Karen Haave
Transportation firms making unscheduled deliveries of asylum seekers to train stations just outside of Chicago might want to reconsider drop-offs within the Village of Crete. A tough new ordinance aimed at controlling unannounced buses was included on Monday’s agenda for officials’ consideration during the board of trustees meeting.
Its title is a mouthful: “An Ordinance of the Village of Crete, Will County Illinois, Establishing Regulations for Unscheduled Intercity Buses and the Discharge of Passengers to Ensure the Health, Safety, and Welfare of Residents and Visitors to the Village of Crete.”
The proposed ordinance did not specify buses of asylum seekers. But migrants arriving from Texas set off alarms when they were seen walking along Illinois Route 50 in Peotone in late December.
M/Sgt. Christopher “Joey” Watson, Illinois State Police Troop 3, confirmed that a group of 13 people was picked up near W. Kennedy Road around 8:30 a.m. on December 21.
Watson said “ISP coordinated with Peotone Police, the Will County Sheriff’s Office, and Will County Emergency Management Agency (EMA) to safely transport the pedestrians from the road.”
Officials learned the group was dropped off by a bus skirting Chicago borders and heavy new penalties, including impound, for unscheduled arrivals. Chicago has begun citing unauthorized buses after being inundated with unprecedented numbers of immigrants and struggling to find adequate housing and aid for them.
Since then, neighboring suburbs, including Manhattan, Monee, University Park, and Aurora, have reported groups of asylum seekers walking along roadways and being dropped off at Metra commuter stations. Officials in those towns emphasize they are concerned for the migrants’ welfare, but are not equipped to house them and, like Chicago, several are adopting ordinances that prohibit unauthorized buses.
Crete’s ordinance, if adopted, would require an application submitted to and approved by the village chief of police “for receiving and reviewing proposed intercity bus operations.”
Approval of the application “means written notice that the Chief of Police has received, reviewed, and determined that an application satisfies the requirements of the village and the policy.”
It defines “regularly scheduled service” as “intercity bus service that operates on a predictable and recurring basis, following a schedule that is published in advance and available to the general public, and provides service in exchange for paying a fare.”
At the same time, it defines “unscheduled intercity bus” as “any bus used for the transportation of persons between the Village of Crete and locations outside of the Chicago-Crete and Will County area that is not operating pursuant to authorization of the chief of police authorization via an approved letter of permission or an approved schedule and/or approved pick-up/drop-off zone, as of the effective date of this policy.”
The application, review and approval process for unscheduled intercity buses will apply to all operators seeking an unscheduled intercity bus service for a specified date, time, and location for loading/unloading of passengers, in accordance with approved written authorization.
All applications must be received by the police department a minimum of five full business days prior to the requested date of the arrival of the bus.
Applications must include a passenger list, and the operator will be required to complete background checks on every passenger over the age of 18. Copies of each background check must be included in the application.
Applications would be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis, and only one application would be approved for a given date, time, and location.
Unscheduled intercity buses would be permitted to load/unload passengers within the Village of Crete only between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, and not at any time on Saturdays, Sundays, or any village holiday.
Loading/unloading passengers would be allowed only at designated locations.
Punctuality would be required, no earlier than or later than 30 minutes of the approved arrival time. Any loading or unloading outside of that time frame would result in a $750-per-passenger fine.
Operators attempting to load/unload passengers without approved applications also would be levied a $750-per-passenger fine. Any unscheduled intercity bus used in violation of the proposed policy would be subject to immediate seizure and impoundment. In addition to being liable for all towing, storage, and administrative fees, owners of record would be subject to an “administrative penalty” of $5,000.
The policy also would allow the police chief to pursue criminal charges against the bus operator if their actions endanger the health, safety or welfare of the passengers, including extreme weather conditions, time of day, and access to shelter or transportation of passengers.