Around 35 migrants who were told they were being bused to Chicago were dropped off at a gas station in Kankakee early Thursday morning, officials said.
Their trip started in El Paso, Texas, and they were left at a gas station in the 3400 block of South Route 45/52 about 4:30 a.m., the Kankakee County sheriff’s office said.
“The passengers, hailing from Venezuela, were left without money, food, adequate clothing, and were under the impression that they had reached their destination,” said the sheriff’s office, which responded to a report at the gas station around 7:30 a.m.
Some migrants began walking along roadways wrapped in blankets and others stayed at the gas station, officials said.
Law enforcement provided rides to Midway Airport for those who stayed at the gas station, as well as for a few people who started walking, according to the sheriff’s office.
Kankakee County Sheriff Mike Downey said the office is trying to identify anyone responsible for leaving the migrants at the gas station.
The 30 to 40 new arrivals come a few days after the Texas Division of Emergency Management sent a private chartered plane carrying more than 120 asylum-seekers to O’Hare Airport. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office confirmed the state is responsible for the flight, which also departed from El Paso. A spokesman for Abbott said the state was “expanding our operation” to include sending migrants by plane to Chicago, in addition to the hundreds of buses they’ve already used to transport migrants to the city since last year.
Since August 2022, more than 600 buses carrying migrants have arrived in Chicago from Texas, totaling 26,300 new arrivals, according to the city.
More than 14,000 remain in shelters across the city as of Friday.
