Chicago Latino Caucus holds town hall at NEIU

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago's Latino lawmakers and advocates came together Friday to discuss the issues facing their community and call for unity in the wake of what they call the Trump administration's anti-immigrant stance.

The event was held at Northeastern Illinois University, where one third of the student body identifies as Latino or Latina.

For participants, the event was meant to show strength on behalf of those students in what they said are troubled times for the Latino community.

In a three hour town hall, state representatives and others sought recognition for their accomplishments - and to recognize that there is a lot more to do in the face of a federal government bent on curtailing immigration.

Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation Co-Chair and Northwestern Suburbs State Representative Fred Crespo said that although there is local unity for progressive legislation, passing laws is more complicated.

"All of a sudden, I head people in the Democratic Caucus are pro-gun and pro-life from downstate and I head people from Chicago who are pro-choice and anti-gun, how in the world to we get this done?" Crespo said.

Also present at the Caucus was State Commerce Commissioner and former Chicago mayoral candidate Miguel Del Valle. Del Valle said that gatherings like the town hall help define future action.

"The economy is changing, the city of Chicago and other parts of the state are changing dramatically, so we need to make sure Latinos are an integral part of that process," Del Valle said.