On the morning of December 31 and with little notice, a plane carrying 355 migrants arrived at the Chicago Rockford International Airport in Winnebago County. Upon landing, migrants boarded buses and were driven to Chicago. Upon learning of the arrival of the immigrants in Rockford, State Senator Andrew Chesney (R-Freeport) issued the following statement:
“Winnebago Sheriff Gary Caruana and his department is to be commended for their quick response in correctly rerouting these migrants to Chicago. Their arrival this morning is a direct consequence to the weak border policies of the Biden Administration and the ill-thought-out sanctuary state designation made by Governor JB Pritzker and his Democrat allies in the Illinois Legislature.
“When Illinois Democrats roll out the welcome mat to illegal immigrants and asylum seekers by offering driver’s licenses, free healthcare, and housing assistance, it is no surprise that Illinois has become a destination for non-citizens crossing into this country from our southern border. I am reviewing Illinois’ sanctuary state law and working on a legislative remedy to protect our communities from having to spend their very limited budget dollars on an issue that was not of their making.”
