A letter from Mayor Johnson and other American mayors is expected to go to President Joe Biden to get movement on work permits for migrants in coming weeks. Johnson's office said the letter has the support of some local organizations that want to see legal work options for new residents as well as undocumented residents who have been in the Chicago area for a long time.
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They have launched a campaign called Cities for Action.
"People should not have to duck and hide to contribute to our society," Johnson said.
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"Let's not put these groups against one another but instead lets commit to providing all these groups with meaningful pathways to economic mobility and security," said Dorri McWhorter, president and CEO of YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
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"We will never stop fighting for every worker to be covered by union contract and we will never stop fighting for immigration reform, because immigrant rights are workers' rights, immigrant rights are human rights," said Lou Weeks, executive vice president of Unite Here Local 1.
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The Chicago Urban League hosted a roundtable discussion Thursday where Mariana Gutierrez, a 22-year-old college student majoring in accounting and DACA applicant, shared her experience. She says her citizenship status keeps her from getting jobs and scholarships. She was brought to the U.S. when she was seven months old.
"I'm really grateful for everyone who has given me the opportunity to work with them, but my career constantly stops as soon as my internship stops so it's really devastating," she said.
The city of Chicago reports more than 38,000 migrants have arrived in the last two years, on top of the estimated hundreds of thousands of undocumented residents in the greater Chicago area who are still awaiting the legal ability to work.