* Sunday afternoon press release…
Mayor Rahm Emanuel today reiterated Chicago’s commitment to being a sanctuary city for immigrants and announced the city’s 311 operators have been given special instruction to assist anyone with concerns or questions about their status in Chicago or the United States.
“Since the Presidential Election, there has been a sense of uncertainty among many immigrant communities in Chicago and across the nation. I want to assure all of our families that Chicago is and will remain a Sanctuary City,” said Mayor Emanuel. “Chicago has been a city of immigrants since it was founded. We have always welcomed people of all faiths and backgrounds, and while the administration will change, our values and our commitment to inclusion will not.”
Residents are encouraged to call 311 for information about legal resources, as well as other supportive services. Families can also learn more about Chicago’s upcoming Municipal ID program by calling 311. Under a provision in the Mayor’s recently announced budget, the City will begin issuing Municipal IDs in late 2017 to ensure all Chicago residents have access to official identification. Community meetings will be scheduled throughout next year to provide more information.
* Greg Hinz…
The statement neither mentions Trump by name nor his suggestions on the campaign trail that “sanctuary cites” such as Chicago that do not help him crack down on illegal immigration could lose billions of dollars in federal spending. Nor does the statement mention the political reality that, as Emanuel begins to consider whether to run for a third term, being perceived as championing the rights of one of the city’s key voting blocks could be helpful.
New York and Los Angeles took similar steps a few days ago.
Adam Collins, the mayor’s spokesman, said the statement should be read as meaning that all city services will be provided to residents regardless of their immigration status, and that the city will not collect or furnish information to federal immigration authorities.
“This is less about anyone in Washington than ensuring people who live in Chicago feel safe,” Collins told me. “The mayor personally and many people in Chicago have certain values. Those values need to be defended.”
Collins said he did not immediately know how the policy would apply to those arrested for committing crimes.
* Politico…
In sanctuary cities, local law enforcement officials aren’t required to alert U.S. Immigration and Customs authorities about the immigration status of individuals with whom they come in contact.
On Monday, Chicago’s elected officials, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, are expected to hold a news conference to formally discuss how the city will retain its sanctuary status. Aldermen are expected to call on Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to pressure Trump to back off his vow to interfere with funding. […]
Illinois Comptroller-elect Susana Mendoza, whose parents are Mexican immigrants, called on Rauner to take a stand on the issue.
“As a leader of this state, the governor, and everyone in a leadership position, should be saying it’s wrong,” Mendoza told POLITICO Illinois on Sunday. “I would expect that the governor would say, ‘that’s ridiculous.’ Besides moral bankruptcy, it’s bad fiscal policy for the city or any city.
* Tribune…
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley worries President-elect Donald Trump could use Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants to cut off funding to the city.
Quigley addressed the issue on WLS-AM 890’s “Connected to Chicago” show after host Bill Cameron asked whether he’s concerned about Trump trying to cut off the federal funding spigot to Chicago.
“The president-elect said he would cut off all federal funding to sanctuary cities — an extraordinary thing to say, particularly for someone who says the federal government should stay out of the local governing of states and cities,” Quigley said.
“Am I concerned about it from that point of view? Absolutely,” Quigley added. “In the final analysis, though, I think if the president wants to do what he talks about, for example with a big infrastructure package, he’s going to need support across the aisle. And if he says none for Chicago, he’s not going to get any support from anybody in Chicago, frankly in the Chicagoland area.”
* NBC 5…
Mental health hotlines across the state have received an influx of calls since Trump was elected to be the nation’s 45th president, according to the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition.
“It’s scary,” said one concerned resident, Leslie Alcantar. “It feels like they could take my mom, my dad, my family.” […]
“Us hard workers, we come in illegally but we do work and that’s what he doesn’t understand,” said Tanya Govea, who lives in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood. “If we’re not doing the jobs Americans don’t want to do, who’s going to do it?”
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Throughout this year’s presidential campaign, Governor Rauner never officially endorsed Donald Trump as the Republican nominee, and did not attend the Republican National Convention. Less than forty percent of Illinois voters supported Mr. Trump, a clear rejection of his anti-immigrant proposals. Now, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) members are calling on Governor Rauner to listen to his state’s voters, reject the President-elect’s anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies, and use his executive authority and leadership to actively advance protections for immigrants before Mr. Trump is inaugurated on January 20, 2017.
“The country just elected the most dangerous and racist president in recent history. Now is the time for local leadership to show that Illinois stands for something different,” said ICIRR board president Mony Ruiz-Velasco. “Voters in Illinois rejected Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant, misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ and xenophobic rhetoric. The governor now has a responsibility to act against Trump’s racist agenda, and advance the best interests of Illinois residents.
ICIRR members established an “Illinois Is Safe” agenda for Illinois. The Coalition is calling on the Governor to take the following actions immediately as the General Assembly reconvenes for its veto session this week:
Immediately issue an executive order designating public schools and universities “sanctuary spaces” for undocumented individuals in Illinois. Such an order would restrict officers from the Department of Homeland Security from entering “sensitive locations” included schools, places of worship and hospitals. (See https://www.ice.gov/doclib/ero-outreach/pdf/10029.2-policy.pdf)
Endorse and encourage support for House passage of the Student Access Bill (SB 2196) and sign the bill when it reaches his desk. The bill provides legal authority to four-year public universities in Illinois to provide financial aid to undocumented students who enroll at their institutions. This bill addresses educational access, a centerpiece issue of his administration. SB 2196 passed out of the Senate, and is expected to come up for a vote during veto session in the House
Use his national leadership within the Republican Party to call on President-elect Trump to maintain the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) executive order. DACA protects over 740,000 young people from deportation, including over 41,000 in Illinois with many more immigrants eligible for the program who have yet to apply. DACA grants recipients work permits and allows them to contribute to the country’s tax base. Studies have concluded that the DACA program would increase the country’s Gross Domestic Product by hundreds of billions of dollars. The Social Security Administration has estimated that the program would increase tax revenue by billions of dollars. The policy is good for Illinois’ residents and economy.
ICIRR also calls on the Governor to work in good faith with Senate and House legislatures to seek bipartisan support to protect Illinois immigrants by taking the following steps in response to the Trump administration’s priorities as soon as possible:
Support legislation to ensure that Illinois law enforcement officials are not involved in immigration enforcement. Such legislation would ensure that local law enforcement agencies do not honor burdensome and legally suspect requests from U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain people for deportation who have otherwise been granted release by the state and municipal courts.
Propose legislation to ban private immigration detention centers in Illinois. Private prison companies have made several proposals to build in Illinois, most recently in Kankakee County. Each such proposal has been met with vociferous local resistance due to the long history of abuse, neglect, and profiteering among private facilities. Legislation is needed to bar these prisons altogether.
Work with our member organizations and other criminal justice reform allies to craft and enact sentencing reforms that limit the deportation consequences of interactions with the criminal justice system in Illinois.
“Governor Rauner has publicly supported a national immigration reform agenda,” observed ICIRR Executive Director Lawrence Benito. “He refused to join other GOP governors in suing the Obama administration regarding its pro-immigrant executive actions. On November 9, we entered a new era where more is required of all of us. Now is the time for the Governor to meet this moment and act on the principles that Illinois voters unequivocally supported in this year’s elections”
ICIRR members will be in Springfield throughout the fall veto session to advance these priorities.
