Undocumented Workers Deserve Legal Work Permits, Mayor And Leaders Say
Illinois has about 480,000 undocumented residents who contribute $1.5 billion in taxes despite not having legal work permits, local leaders say.
By Madison Savedra19 hours ago
Mayor Brandon Johnson (center) sits next to Deputy Mayor for Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights Beatriz Ponce de Leon (left) and Executive Director of American Business Immigrant Coalition Rebecca Shi. Credit: Madison Savedra/Block Club Chicago
BRONZEVILLE — Since immigrating to Chicago from Mexico in the late 90’s, Teresa Labastida has found community through organizing with Palenque LSNA, a Northwest Side nonprofit.
Labastida has helped other immigrant families find stability through mutual aid efforts, and often celebrates with them when she hears someone has gotten a work permit, she said.
But the moment of celebration can be bittersweet for Labastida, who’s never received a legal work permit for herself.
“It made me think, ‘What about us? Have they already forgotten about us?'” she said.
Labastida joined Mayor Brandon Johnson and other leaders and organizers Thursday to urge the federal government to issue work permits for all undocumented immigrants, including immigrants who have lived in the city for years.
Activists and local leaders have been fighting for work permits for years, but there’s been recent urgency added to the situation as over 38,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago since 2022, with many of them struggling to find work permits, as well.
City officials and organizers renewed their call for work permits at the Thursday morning event at the Chicago Urban League in Bronzeville. Organizations at the meeting are part of a campaign called Here To Work, which has been pushing for work permits for longtime undocumented immigrants.
CEO of the Resurrection Project Raul Raymundo speaks during an event calling for work permit for all immigrants on April 4, 2024. Credit: Madison Savedra/Block Club Chicago
Some of the new arrivals receive work permit eligibility through parole, an asylum application or a federal program called temporary protected status. Many undocumented immigrants, however, aren’t eligible for these same programs and are left out of obtaining a work permit.
Leaders estimate there are about 480,000 undocumented residents in Illinois who contribute $1.5 billion in taxes and make up about 4.3 percent of the state’s workers.
“We deserve to get out of the shadows and work with dignity,” Labastida said.
Johnson and City Council members have supported advocates’ calls for work permits from the federal government, but there’s been little movement.
Despite a history of inaction on federal immigration reform, Johnson said he remains committed to calling on leaders to act.
“We’re encouraged, and we’re gonna continue to do our part,” he told reporters. “Now, of course, the ideal situation would be for Congress to actually do its part. We’re going to continue to push [President Joe Biden] to support the families that need it and who are already contributing to society.”
Mayor Brandon Johnson embraces CEO of the Resurrection Project Raul Raymundo on April 4, 2024. Credit: Madison Savedra/Block Club Chicago
The mayor said he plans to sign a letter circulating among mayors across the country calling on Biden to grant parole to undocumented residents, which would give them a pathway to applying for a work permit.
Johnson also repeated promises to keep Chicago a welcoming city and supportive of immigrants.
“Chicago will never turn its back on people who wish to call the city of Chicago their home,” he said. “We recognize that migration is an opportunity.”