Multiple Chicago suburbs are taking action to prevent further unannounced migrant drop-offs in their towns.

This comes after the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance allowing officials to impound buses bringing migrants to the city outside official hours and landing zones.

It’s led multiple suburbs to follow in Chicago’s footsteps by passing similar emergency policies.

Woodstock, a community located about 50 miles outside the city, passed its own ordinance earlier this week in a 6-0 City Council vote.

Woodstock Mayor Mike Turner said the ordinance was modeled after Chicago and Aurora’s ordinances.

“We’re just not equipped as a city to handle the migrants that get dropped off here,” Turner said.

Woodstock has a population of about 25,000 people.

Meanwhile, North Chicago has not received any buses as of Thursday but is taking preventive measures to avoid any future unscheduled drop-offs.

“We just want to be proactive and make sure that the buses that are coming in are ones we are aware of,” said North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. “We’ve passed a similar ordinance that says that they have to let us know 72 hours in advance. They cannot drop off between one o’clock in the morning and five o’clock in the morning. … And it’s not for the migrants, it’s more for the transportation of the bus companies themselves. … That way it gives us a heads up on being able to make sure that we’re taking care of them.”

This past weekend on Saturday, Dec. 30, Woodstock received an unscheduled bus of about 40 migrants. Luckily, Turner said his team had previously talked about what steps to take as a city if that were to ever happen.

“We had talked about it as a city as the steps we would take to get them immediate shelter in the train station, access to restrooms and then with an intent to guide them onto the train and encourage them to take the train into Chicago,” Turned said. “We also had put in plans to connect with the McHenry County EMA as part of the county to then contact the city so that when folks went on the train, they were then met by someone from Chicago OEMC, which handles folks that get dropped off there.”

Similar to what Chicago has seen with its community response teams, residents from Woodstock quickly took action and dropped off winter clothing and food at the train station in Woodstock where migrants were dropped off, Turner said.

“It was a community reaction because we were heartfelt and concerned about folks,” Turner said. “Despite the bus ordinance, it’s not anti-migrant. It’s kind of just to avoid the chaos that comes with it.”

Since the passing of Chicago’s ordinance, city officials have issued at least 95 citations and impounded two buses for violating the rules.

“We must be prepared,” Rockingham Jr. said in regard to possible future buses coming. “From my chief of staff and my police and fire department, we’ve already put things in place so if they do come, we are prepared. North Chicago’s home to Naval Station Great Lakes; we’ve been in contact with them. If they (migrants) are dropped off late at night, we are able to get cots and blankets. We already have put in place where we would get food and shelter for them.”

Contact Acacia Hernandez: @acacia_rosita | [email protected]