Last year, the influx of asylum-seeking migrants to Chicago and the collar counties was one of Lake County News-Sun’s top stories of 2023, as local organizations struggled to keep up. In 2024, immigration continued to be a top story for the newspaper, as local municipalities and organizations worked out how to handle the increased demand, and Lake County migrant communities face growing uncertainty over the future after former President Donald Trump was elected to serve another term in the White House. In January, Highland Park and Deerfield joined a growing list of municipalities that placed regulations on one-way buses dropping off 10 or more passengers. While generic and applying to all one-way buses, the regulations were a response to the rise of unscheduled buses dropping off groups of migrants at all hours of the day and night. Since August 2022, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot has sent hundreds of buses and tens of thousands of migrants to the Chicago area. Buses began arriving in the suburbs of Chicago when the city tightened rules regarding bus drop-offs, seeking more coordination and communication about the drop-offs from Texas. Highland Park experienced two “no-notice” bus arrivals in December of last year, according to city staff, and began coordinating with Lake County Emergency Management to provide migrants with shelter, food and transportation to the Chicago processing center, where all new arrivals must go for screening and intake services. Elsewhere, groups of migrants were dropped off in the early hours of the morning at a Metra station in Elk Grove Village. In Kankakee, a group was dropped off at a gas station on the side of the highway. Highland Park staff said the ordinances were meant to protect the migrants, who were being  “basically abandoned” in suburban areas. Staff also began coordinating with local volunteer organizations, such as the Rotary Club and Service and Learning Together, to collect donations for welcome packages for the newly arriving migrants. The care packages had books in Spanish and English, winter clothes, first-aid items, personal hygiene products and snacks. The city planned to keep 100 packages locally, and sent the rest to the Chicago migrant processing center. Authorities have said migrants are especially vulnerable to abuse, such as in the case of a Highland Park woman charged with eight counts of human trafficking after allegedly exploiting four immigrants in early 2024. Gladys Ibanez Olea, 34, arranged for the illegal immigration of a 19-year-old woman and her 2-year-old son, along with a 22-year-old woman and her brother, 15, authorities said. According to prosecutors, Olea promised housing, safety and jobs, but instead took possession of the immigrants’ money, identification and more. The adults were forced into jobs to pay off their “debt” to Olea, authorities said. She allegedly created a fake ID for the 15-year-old so he could get a job, and forced the immigrants to give her the money they earned, prosecutors said. She also padlocked the refrigerator and kitchen cabinets in her home to control when and what the immigrants ate, police said. Leading up to November’s presidential election, Trump promised to deport millions of undocumented migrants as part of the “largest deportation operation in the history of our country.” His victory has made that a very real threat for some migrants — documented or otherwise — in Lake County. Local migrant resources groups have expressed concern about what could happen after Trump again takes office next month, and have been holding “know your rights” events for community members as they prepare. Dulce Ortiz, executive director of Mano a Mano Family Resource Center, takes Trump’s words very seriously. “We know what’s coming,” Ortiz said. “It’s like you’re seeing this big tsunami coming, and you know it’s coming at you. But what do you do? Where do you go for safety? How can you best prepare yourself?” There is some comfort in residing in a more immigrant-friendly state, with rules prohibiting law enforcement from working directly with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). But that provides no guarantee of safety, Ortiz said, if local officials ultimately cave to federal pressure. “How are our elected leaders going to react?” she asked. “Will they go back on their word … because they’re no longer able to get federal funding?” Maria Elena Jonas, executive director of HACES, which provides immigration and naturalization services, said many are preparing for the possibility of deportations. Many in the migrant community are “in shock,” but it is important they know their rights and not “just give themselves to an agent of the government.” If deportations were to begin, Jonas warned of the consequences, both for families and for the broader Lake County community. “It’s going to be very messy,” she said. “This is going to become more serious, more heartbreaking and detrimental to our communities.” As undocumented Lake County residents and their families worry about deportations promised by the president-elect, some local officials have pledged not to be part of the effort. Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said the Illinois Trust Act prevents law enforcement agencies within the state from assisting with the application of federal law, including immigration regulations. “It prohibits local law enforcement from participating in federal immigration law enforcement,” Rinehart said. Waukegan Mayor Ann Taylor, an immigrant herself coming to the U.S. from England as a young child, made it clear the Waukegan Police Department won’t help officers from ICE or any other such agency. “We are not getting involved,” Taylor said. “I won’t even have a conversation about it. It is not in our wheelhouse, and we don’t have the resources. We want everyone in our community to trust in that.” Taylor and Rinehart made their comments during a meeting of the Waukegan Intergovernmental Committee at the College of Lake County’s Lakeshore Campus, held in response to communitywide concerns about potential deportations after Trump takes office. Migrant community leaders said they’ve had people reaching out, concerned about how to prepare for what may be ahead. “You feel a lot of anxiety, worry,” Ortiz said. “You start to think: ‘How can we protect our community? How can we protect our loved ones? How can we protect our team members?’” Despite her fears, Ortiz is well aware of the support the community has. It “made it through four years” before, she said, referring to Trump’s first term. Jonas has spoken to community members, trying to break through perceptions of migrants as criminals, job-stealers or other negative depictions she said are common in the media. With Lake County’s large Hispanic population, Jonas said she reminds residents that migrants are their neighbors and fellow community members. “Let’s not forget, this country was built on immigrants, so who has the right to call themselves an American?” Jonas said.