A plane carrying migrants from Texas landed about 1 a.m. Sunday at the Rockford International Airport, Rockford officials said, and the migrants were “offloaded and immediately boarded buses” headed toward Chicago, according to Rockford officials.

       It was the second such private plane chartered by Texas officials, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration said.

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       In a social media post, Rockford officials said there were 355 migrants on the flight. The officials “were given limited notice” the migrants were arriving.

       Chicago officials said the plane was a private Boeing 777 coming from San Antonio, and that after landing, migrants boarded eight buses chartered by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

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       The statement suggested the flight was an escalation of Texas’ response to a recent Chicago ordinance that allowed the city to sue “rogue” bus operators dropping off migrants outside of set approved hours and locations. In recent weeks, Texas officials have opted to drop migrants off just outside Chicago limits as well.

       On the CBS show “Face The Nation,” Johnson said Abbott “is determined to continue to sow seeds of chaos.”

       A late Saturday joint statement from Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara, Winnebago County Board Chair Joe Ciarelli and other local officials said the buses were supposed to end up at Chicago’s landing zone, but Chicago officials said as of early Sunday afternoon, those buses had not arrived.

       “The buses dropped passengers off in various suburbs and they are making their way to the City via train and other means,” a statement from a city of Chicago spokesperson said.

       Winnebago County law enforcement followed the buses to the McHenry County line and turned around, according to an updated Facebook post.

       “At this moment, we are not aware of any other flights from Texas,” Rockford officials said. “However, the Texas Department of Emergency Management is managing this situation. We will remain in contact with them. ... If we get more of these flights, we will activate our local Emergency Operations Center to coordinate logistics and planning to ensure the safety of all involved throughout this process.”

       The first plane, chartered by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, arrived at O’Hare Airport last week, carrying 120 migrants, a fraction of the 28,000 migrants Abbott said had been transported to Chicago since August 2022.

       An Abbott spokesman confirmed last week to the Tribune that Texas officials opted for airplanes after Johnson started “targeting migrant buses from Texas” with fines or impoundment.

       Bus drivers have also dropped migrants off just outside the city — in Indiana or, increasingly, in the suburbs — and given them Amtrak tickets or Metra cards to get downtown, according to city officials.

       In his appearance on “Face the Nation,” Johnson said Abbott’s practice of transporting migrants via airplane without any coordination to various cities was a “very dangerous task” and “a matter of national security.”

       The plane’s arrival came as temperatures dipped in the city, snow fell throughout the morning, and wind chills were expected to reach the low 20s.

       “What we have is clearly an international and federal crisis that local governments are being asked to subsidize, and this is unsustainable,” Johnson said. “None of our local economies are positioned to carry on such a mission. What we have attempted to do is create structure and some coordination around this humanitarian crisis. And unfortunately, Gov. Abbott is determined to continue to sow seeds of chaos.”

       Through Friday, Metra spokeswoman Martha Hill said about 40 buses transporting migrants had arrived at various outlying Metra stations over the past two weeks. Though migrants already had fare cards, the agency received no advance notification of their arrival. Those riders were transported to downtown stations and passed off to OEMC or were picked up by family and friends, Hill said.

       More buses were expected over the weekend, she said. The city estimates 14 — including the eight from Rockford — will arrive by the end of the day. Figures are likely to change, the city warned, because of the practice of drop-offs in adjacent suburbs.

       As of Sunday morning, there were 14,585 migrants staying at 27 active shelters in Chicago. Nearly 600 were awaiting placement: 53 at Chicago police statements, 241 at O’Hare Airport and nearly 300 at the city’s landing zone.

       aquig@chicagotribune.com

       Originally Published: Dec 31, 2023 at 8:52 am