Rahm To Host DREAMers, Urges Chicagoans To Be 'Welcoming' Of Immigrants
By Stephen Gossett in News on Jan 30, 2017 4:18PM
Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson
As executive orders from President Donald Trump target certain immigrants and American sanctuary cities alike, Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Sunday called on Chicago residents to offer “welcoming words” or host a meal for immigrants and pledged he would do the same.
Emanuel said in a statement that he will host DREAMers from Chicago Public Schools and Chicago City Colleges “for a meal, a conversation, and a recognition and celebration of all that unites us, rather than what divides us.”
Like several other large cities, Chicago has been on the front lines against Trump’s recent immigration-crackdown policies. Emanuel vowed that the city would remain a sanctuary city, meaning local law enforcement and government would not assist federal agencies with immigration crackdowns; and large groups of protesters, lawyers and politicians flooded O’Hare International Airport this weekend after more than 60 travelers were reportedly detained as a result of Trump’s ban. Emanuel was on hand at the Sunday protest at O’Hare.
At the same time, Chicago’s progressive wing has urged Emanuel to do more to protect undocumented residents. Last week Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) called on the mayor to remove “carve-outs and loopholes” from Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance. Hatem Abudayyeh, Executive Director of the Arab American Action Network, made the same call at protest against Donald Trump’s immigration on Sunday night at O’Hare.
Rahm said in his statement:
“One hundred years ago, the people of Chicago opened their hearts and their homes to my grandfather when he immigrated to this great city, fleeing the pogroms of Eastern Europe in search of freedom and opportunity. In that spirit, in the coming days my family and I will host DREAMers attending Chicago Public Schools and Chicago City Colleges for a meal, a conversation, and a recognition and celebration of all that unites us, rather than what divides us. I am asking every interested resident of the City of Chicago to join us by hosting a similar meal in your own homes and at restaurants in your own neighborhoods, or by sharing welcoming words through a phone call or email. At a moment of unease and vulnerability for so many, let’s come together as a city and put action behind our words and the values we hold dear as a welcoming city. Lets show the world that the City of Big Shoulders is also a city of big hearts.”