Rep. García, Illinois Elected Officials, Community Organizations Call for More Resources and Executive Action to Address Needs of New and Long-Term Immigrants
CHICAGO— Today, Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García led 28 Illinois elected officials in a letter to President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas asking the administration to provide more federal resources and take executive action to continue providing for long-term and recent migrants. The letter has also been endorsed by 62 Illinois community and service organizations.
“Illinois is home to the 5th largest immigrant population in the U.S. and has proudly led the nation as one of the most welcoming states. Our elected leaders at the state, county, and municipal levels, along with community organizations have been working hard to embrace and support migrants as they continue to arrive,” said Rep. García. “But we need more federal assistance to meet the humane and economic needs our state is facing. This is why we are asking the Biden administration to take bold steps so that we can fully integrate recent and long-term immigrants into our communities economically, legally and across all sectors.”
The letter urges U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to:
- Provide humanitarian parole in place and work permits to both migrants who have recently arrived and those who have been here for decades
- Recapture green cards that had been authorized in previous years but were never issued and make them available to qualifying migrants
- Ensure equitable distribution of federal funds for Illinois and the Chicago region – this funding is imperative for Illinois’ partner non-government organizations who are doing critical work to provide shelter, meals, and security for recent arrivals
- Increase legal support services for newly arrived migrants, and;
- Increase funding for the Citizenship and Integration Grant Program that provides legal services to both long-term migrants and new arrivals
Illinois elected officials who co-signed the letter include: State Senators Javier Cervantes, Natalie Toro, Mike Porfirio, Celina Villanueva, State Representatives Jaime M. Andrade Jr., Dagmara Avelar, Angelica Guerrero-Cuellar, Edgar Gonzalez Jr., Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, Norma Hernandez, Lilian Jimenez, Theresa Mah, Aarón M. Ortiz, Abdelnasser Rashid, Cook County Commissioners Alma E. Anaya and Frank J. Aguilar, Kane County Commissioner Cherryl Strathmann, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commissioner Eira L. Corral Sepúlveda, Berwyn Mayor Robert J. Lovero, Chicago Alderpersons Michael D. Rodriguez, Julia Ramirez, Jeylu B. Gutierrez, Jessie Fuentes, Ruth Cruz, Carlos Ramirez-Rosa, Gilbert Villegas, Andre Vasquez, and Cicero Trustee Blanca Vargas.
A copy of the letter can be found here.
A list of the endorsing organizations can be found here.
According to city data, since August of 2022, more than 15,000 migrants have been bused to Chicago primarily by Texas Governor Greg Abbot’s Operation Lone Star. Last September, Rep. García led a letter to Senate and House Appropriations Committee leadership urging the inclusion of $500 million to support the Emergency Food and Shelter Program. In December 2022, García co-led efforts to increase the government funding package to include an additional $800 million in aid for asylum seekers, immigrants exceeding their original request.
In May, Rep. García and the Chicago Congressional delegation sent a letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell urging them to prioritize the City of Chicago funding request and provide expedited reimbursement of the $20.5 million through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) to help address the needs of migrants that have been arriving to Chicago from Texas.
This past July, Rep. García led 38 congressional colleagues in a letterurging the Biden administration to expand parole and work permits to both new migrants and long term contributing immigrant workers, as a solution to address America’s labor shortages and ease the financial pressure on cities who have been welcoming migrants during the last year by allowing them to work.
# # #