Kane County Reporter

In Kane County, a number of municipalities have declined to comment on their policies regarding illegal immigrants in response to an inquiry by the Kane County Reporter. These include Aurora, Batavia, Elgin, Geneva, St. Charles, Algonquin, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Big Rock, Burlington, Campton Hills, Carpentersville, East Dundee, Elburn, Gilberts, Hampshire, Hoffman Estates, Huntley, Kaneville, Lily Lake, Maple Park, Montgomery, North Aurora, Pingree Grove, Sleepy Hollow and others.

Only two communities within the county have disclosed their stance on this issue.

Gilberts Village President Guy Zambetti informed the Kane County Reporter that no measures have been implemented to regulate or prohibit migrant buses from dropping off illegal immigrants as such a situation has not yet occurred in the village. 

Village of Wayne Mayor Eileen Phipps (left) and Village of Gilberts President Guy Zambetti | Preserve and Protect Wayne's website and villageofgilberts.com

"At this time the Village of Gilberts Board has taken no action and has no action pending to regulate or prohibit Migrant buses from coming to our community or to prohibit local hotels from housing Migrants," Zambetti said. 

He also mentioned that they are closely monitoring statements and actions from Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and Governor Pritzker concerning migrant buses.

Mayor Eileen Phipps of the Village of Wayne also commented on the issue stating that due to limited resources, her community does not plan to accept illegal immigrants. 

"We do not currently have any ordinances in place as we have no available resources to house migrants," Phipps said.

The refusal by most communities in Will County to discuss their policy comes after Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson requested assistance from suburban mayors with the city's illegal immigrant crisis. Burr Ridge Mayor Gary Grasso told NBC Chicago that Johnson specifically asked for increased funding for shelter and services for migrants.

Glen Ellyn Village President Mark Senak recently announced at the League of Women Voters Glen Ellyn 2024 State of the Village Annual Meeting that the community was offered an $11 million state grant to assist with the permanent resettlement of illegal immigrants. This information was initially brought to light by State Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-Glen Ellyn), who informed the village about the available funds for this purpose, as reported by DuPage Policy Journal.

Concerns have been raised following reports that over 34,000 illegal immigrants have arrived in Illinois since mid-2022, leading to calls for stronger border control measures. Last fall, Illinois allocated $42.5 million in grant money for municipalities to house illegal immigrants. Lake County, Elgin, Oak Park, Urbana and Chicago were among those who received these funds. Overall, the state has allocated $500 million for the care of illegal immigrants according to Capitol News Illinois.