Chicago's Deputy Chief of Staff, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, has revealed to The Chicago Tribune that bus companies have ceased to disclose their migrant drop-off locations in a bid to evade city penalties.
This development comes in the wake of Republican governors dispatching buses filled with asylum seekers to Democrat-led states and sanctuary cities, in a bid to underscore the severity of the border crisis. These governors maintain that such actions are crucial to highlight the challenges faced by border states due to the migrant influx.
In retaliation, Chicago has launched over 50 lawsuits aimed at holding bus companies accountable for transporting undocumented immigrants to an already strained city during the winter season. Despite this, bus companies seem to have continued their operations, albeit without revealing their drop-off points.
"Migrants are no longer being dropped off at the citys landing zone on buses from the southern border, causing people to wander with no direction looking for shelter, according to an aide to Mayor Johnson," The Chicago Tribune reported.
Pacione-Zayas suggested that this communication breakdown is directly linked to the city's new penalties for bus owners who breach Chicago's bus regulations. Buses face "seizure and impoundment" for unloading migrant passengers outside of designated hours and locations or without the necessary permits. Offenders could be slapped with a $3,000 fine, in addition to towing and storage charges.
"She suspects bus companies are finding other ways to get migrants into the city. As of Saturday, more than 25,900 migrants had arrived in Chicago since August 2022, according to city records," the news outlet reported.
"Obviously, theyre trying every way to work around this," Pacione-Zayas said. "Since weve instituted the ordinance and the amendment, we have lost all communication with the border. Theyre not sending us any notices."
Recently, migrants have been discovered in various parts of the city, reportedly having been given train tickets by their bus drivers to reach Chicago. "Bus companies are facilitating their transfer into the city," she said. "It sends us scurrying."
She added, "Folks are just kind of being dropped off at different points. Theyre wandering to police stations. Or theyre wandering to shelters."
Pacione-Zayas expressed her disappointment at the recent communication breakdown with those transporting and sending the migrants to Chicago. "When they come without notice and coordination, it starts to undermine what were trying to do," she said.
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