355 migrants arrive at Rockford airport from Texas before being escorted out-of-town by deputies

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
Get our mobile app

ROCKFORD — A plane carrying 355 migrants from Texas landed early Sunday morning at the Chicago Rockford International Airport before the passengers were immediately boarded onto buses and escorted to the McHenry County line, according to information from city and county officials.

Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana, Winnebago County Board Chairman Joe Chiarelli, both Republicans, and Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara, a Democrat, were alerted to plans for the plane’s arrival late Saturday night, according to a joint statement from the three officials and airport director Zach Oakley. That plane, a private Boeing 777 coming from San Antonio, landed about 1 a.m. Sunday.

“Once the plane landed in Rockford, those onboard were offloaded and immediately boarded buses. Winnebago County Sheriff’s deputies escorted the buses to the McHenry County line,” according to a statement provided by City Hall. “County officials told us that buses did not make any stops along the way to McHenry County.”

City and county officials said they’re not aware of any other plans for migrant planes to arrive here.

More news: Capri’s big move, new businesses and more: Our top 20 most-read stories of 2023

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, adopted a strategy in April 2022 of bussing migrants arriving in the Lone Star State first to Washington, D.C., then to other cities he considers sanctuaries, including Chicago. On Dec. 19, he took that strategy a step further by flying migrants to sanctuary cities with Chicago being the first on the list, according to Fox News.

City officials said the flights were routed to Rockford due to new rules Chicago put in place on the arrival of migrants.

More news: Rockford-area restaurant recap: Here’s a look at new places to eat and other food news from 2023

Chicago implemented rules in mid-November requiring any drop-offs to occur between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. The city also limited the number of bus arrivals and created a designated location in the West Loop to unload passengers.

This is the second flight Texas has tried to send toward Chicago this month. The first plane landed at O’Hare in mid-December carrying about 120 migrants, according to the Chicago Tribune. That’s just a fraction of the total that number of people that have been bused to the city.

There are about 14,585 migrants staying at 27 active shelters in Chicago, and nearly 600 are awaiting placement, according to the Tribune.

State Rep. John Cabello, a Republican from Machesney Park, said in a statement Sunday that the sheriff’s department efficiently handled the migrant plan arriving at the Rockford airport.

“My only wish is that the plane would have been promptly re-fueled to return the migrants to their country of origin. Our area lacks the resources to handle a crisis of this magnitude, so it’s crucial to send a clear message discouraging this from continuing in the future,” Cabello said. “We are not equipped to handle such influxes without proper planning and resources. The state of Illinois should prioritize our existing residents, their safety, and their economic well-being.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said on “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Abbott “is determined to continue to sow seeds of chaos.” He called on Congress to provide the necessary resources to deal with the issue and better coordination between all levels of government.

Will more flights arrive in Rockford?

Officials in Rockford and Winnebago County said they are not aware of any other flights from Texas coming to Rockford.

“However, the Texas Department of Emergency Management is managing the situation. We will remain in contact with them,” according to a statement from the city. “If we get more of these flights, we will activate our local Emergency Operations Center to coordinate logistics and planning to ensure the safety of all involved throughout this process.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas