Rahm Pushes For IL 'Dreamers Bill Of Rights' After DACA Rescission's 'Affront To Basic Human Decency'

By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 6, 2017 8:33PM

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks at a naturalization ceremony on May 5, a day before the city's climate change announcement. Getty Images / Photo: Scott Olson

A day after the Trump administration announced that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) would be phased out, Mayor Rahm Emanuel officially called upon Gov. Bruce Rauner and the state legislature to set up an Illinois Dreamers Bill of Rights and offer further protections to the thousands of immigrants in the state who have registered through DACA.

While we wait to see if and how any Congressional action advances to shore up protections for so-called Dreamers, Rahm, as expected, introduced a resolution at Wednesday's City Council that turned focus on state lawmakers.

The resolution calls for a Bill of Rights that would ensure that state "is doing all it can" to protect the roughly 40,000 DACA recipients in the state. It also calls on the General Assembly to change state law so that DACA recipients can get professional licenses and certifications "to remain in those professions after their DACA work permit expires."

The resolution also urges the creation of a statewide legal protection fund that would offer assistance to immigrants in need. The city likened the proposed fund to the $1.3 million that Chicago operates locally. Rahm in the measure also calls on the state to toughen the so-called "sanctuary state" Illinois Trust Act, and to make it illegal for local governments to opt out of any potential new Dreamer rights.

"President Trump’s decision to end DACA is not only harmful to these young people; it strikes a blow against our core American values and is an affront to basic human decency,” Emanuel said in a statement. "The United States is a nation of immigrants, not a country that tears families apart or deports children who have placed their faith in the promise of America. Not only will Chicago continue to welcome dreamers, we are calling on the State to do all it can to remain a welcoming place for the more than 40,000 DACA youth that live, work, and study in Illinois."

The resolution is co-sponsored by Ald. Ed Burke (14th), City Clerk Anna Valencia and City Council's Latino Caucus. It was reportedly met with widespread support among aldermen at the Council on Wednesday.

Bruce Rauner was noticeably mum on the announcement of the DACA rescission throughout Tuesday, but when he did eventually address the issue, on Wednesday, he turned it squarely away from Springfield and back on Washington. He said in a statement this morning:

"I don't want children to be caught in the middle of an issue that the adults in Congress need to resolve. I have been advocating for Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform for years. I believe the current system makes illegal immigration too easy and legal immigration too difficult. Congress must now act with a sense of urgency to address this issue."

Under the DACA order, which was started in 2012 during the Obama administration, immigrants who were brought to the country as undocumented minors are eligible to receive two-year deferrals that protect them from deportation and allow them to work and a pathway to study in the U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Tuesday afternoon that the program would be rescinded. No new applications will be considered, while Dreamers with permits set to expire before March could apply for their renewal before October 5.

Back in December, Rahm met with then-president-elect Trump and offered a letter urging him to protect DACA.

At the same time that Emanuel has pushed against the Trump administration on the national stage over immigration policies, some Chicago activist have criticized the mayor for not protecting the city's own Welcoming City Ordinance.