In the early hours of Sunday morning, a private Boeing 777 carrying approximately 350 illegal immigrants landed at Chicago Rockford International Airport.
The plane, dispatched from San Antonio, Texas, marked the second instance of Texas sending a private aircraft carrying illegal immigrants to Illinois.
As the passengers disembarked, they boarded eight buses coordinated by the Texas Department of Emergency Management.
“A plane carrying hundreds of migrants arrived overnight at Chicago Rockford International Airport and several buses are bound for Chicago,” WGN-TV said on X.
WGN-TV reported that the buses, escorted by Winnebago County sheriff’s deputies, headed towards the McHenry County line.
Subsequently, migrants were dropped off in various suburbs en route to Chicago, employing trains and other means for transportation to finish the trip into the city.
The City of Rockford announced its readiness to activate the local emergency operations center should additional flights arrive, aiming to ensure safety through coordinated logistics and planning.
On the national stage, Mayor Johnson addressed the broader issue on Face the Nation, criticizing Texas Governor Abbott for sending the plane.
On Face the Nation, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson pleaded for federal government funds to handle the influx of illegal immigrants.
“What we have is clearly an international and federal crisis that local governments are being asked to subsidize. And this is unsustainable. None of our local economies are positioned to be able to carry on such a mission,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s comments run counter to those he made while running for the mayor’s office in March 2023.
“Chicago must lead with and live by the promise to be a sanctuary city,” Johnson said in a tweet at the time.
“Longtime Chicagoans don’t have to lose for new arrivals to gain — there’s enough space at the table for all of us to sit and eat.”
“Immigrants are welcome here.”
