Posts About Immigration

Wednesday, June 15 marked the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program four year anniversary. Since, over 728,285 initial DACA applications have been approved nationally. Of that, Illinois accounted for 40,162 according to the most recent data from the United States Immigration and Customs Services (USCIS). It is third most of any state in the country, behind Texas (117,025) and California (210,712).

DACA provides a two-year, renewable period of protection from deportation for eligible individuals based on criteria such as age, educational achievement level, physical presence in the country, good legal standing and when a person arrives in the country. DACA... Continue Reading

Posted In: Immigration, Immigration Reform & Policy, Immigrant Integration
This blog post was originally published by Hoy on April 6, 2016. The article includes an infographic detailing the tax contribution from undocumented immigrants. To read the original article, click here.  

CHICAGO — Los indocumentados no pagan impuestos y suponen una sangría para la economía de Estados Unidos. Estos prejuicios carecen de datos que los avalen, pero están en la calle. Lo cierto es que los números contradicen estas afirmaciones. Según un informe del Instituto de Tasación y Polítca Económica (ITEP), los indocumentados contribuyen 11,600 millones de dólares anualmente. Sólo en Illinois, estos ciudadanos aportan más de 743 millones de dólares en impuestos locales y estatales, sólo por detrás... Continue Reading

Posted In: Immigration, Immigrant Integration, Immigration Reform & Policy

Here are the latest immigration updates from the Forum.

DACA/DAPA: The court case that has stalled the President’s executive actions to expand the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA+) and launch the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program (DAPA) will be heard by the Supreme Court later this month. Oral arguments are set to begin April 18. Though the executive orders were issued in November 2014, the case has been in legal limbo since February 2015 when a Texas Circuit Court judge placed an injunction on them, preventing their implementation.

The case has only grown in notoriety with the recent unexpected death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, which was followed... Continue Reading

Posted In: Immigration, Immigration Reform & Policy, Immigrant Integration, Leadership

It's been one year

It’s been one year since U.S. District Court Judge Andrew S. Hanen halted President Obama’s November 2014 executive actions to expand the program Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA+) and the launch the new, Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA).


In the legal roller coaster ride that has ensued since Hanen issued his injunction, immigrant leaders and advocates have continually called for a swift judicial resolution in hopes that DACA+ and DAPA could be enacted and implemented before the end of the Obama presidency. 

After a longer than expected, yet wholly unsurprising, 2-1 decision against implementation by the Fifth Circuit Court of... Continue Reading

Posted In: Immigration, Immigration Reform & Policy
The Latino Policy Forum conducts analysis to inform, influence and lead. Part of the Forum's work includes promoting just immigration policies and we often receive calls asking for referrals to resources for immigrants. This blog post provides a working list of Illinois and Chicago resources for immigrants and immigration advocates seeking services. The information here should not be considered legal advice. To gain a deeper understanding of the Forum's immigration work, click here
  
Low-cost or free legal services:
Posted In: Immigration

NCLR Annual ConferenceThousands of Latino advocates and allies “rose as one” at the National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) annual conference, held in New Orleans at the end of July. (Check out Twitter traffic from the conference.) New Orleans’ rich history of immigration, diversity and recent struggle to rebuild figured prominently into the conference, as did current events unfolding around immigration reform in Washington D.C. and the community’s attempt to organize for equitable reform. While First Lady Michelle Obama, the much anticipated keynote speaker, disappointed many by making only a fleeting mention of immigration in her remarks, reform and immigrant realities were at the center of many... Continue Reading

Posted In: Immigration, Immigration Reform & Policy

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) reflected on his struggles in brokering political compromise around immigration reform at a July 8 panel event co-sponsored by the Latino Policy Forum and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). His candid remarks resonated with an audience of more than 120 Latino community leaders and immigrant advocates, many also wrestling with the reality that supporting a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants means also accepting increased enforcement and southern border militarization.

“[I] just close[d] my eyes and grit my teeth and  vote[d] on more damn money on that border than I could ever possibly explain or rationalize,” said Durbin, reflecting on the concessions necessary to garner the 68 votes that eventually ushered... Continue Reading

Posted In: Immigration, Immigration Reform & Policy

The Senate passed S744, the immigration reform bill, with a bipartisan vote of 68-32 this afternoon. Today’s vote punts legislation over to the House of Representatives. While S744 passed with much to celebrate—a pathway to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants, an opportunity for the reunification of families of those who have already been deported, and encouraging provisions for DREAM-eligible childhood arrivals—it also included several troubling amendments, most notably provisions for a “border surge” that will pump an additional $30 billion into border security and a double the number of agents along the US-Mexico border. Today’s victory is bittersweet, leaving advocates wrestling with a difficult reality: supporting immigration reform increasingly means also supporting increased militarization along our southern border.

While the... Continue Reading

Posted In: Immigration Reform & Policy, Immigration

SB744 (also known as the immigration reform bill) will soon be put to a vote on the Senate floor after a nod from the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. Meanwhile, the media is busy touting the still-unrealized legislation as "the biggest victory for advocates of immigrant rights in a generation" because a so-called "path to citizenship" provision for the undocumented -- the "centerpiece of the legislation"-- remains intact.

We at Latino Policy Forum are some of the very advocates who should be celebrating this supposed victory. But, rooted in reality, we've yet to break out the champagne flutes. Why? Should SB744 pass, the "pathway" will be far from straightforward for most immigrants. Meandering at best and labyrinthine at worst, the bill is... Continue Reading

Posted In: Immigration, Immigration Reform & Policy

I recently attended a May 13 community forum hosted by the Chicago Reporter to celebrate the magazine’s 40th anniversary. The event focused on the current—and urgent—topic of immigration reform. 

The forum included Congressman Luis Gutierrez, local community activists, and immigration lawyers who dialogued on the prospects of immigration reform this year as well as how current enforcement has criminalized many non-criminal immigrants. Findings from a Chicago Reporter feature story, “Speedy Removal,” were also discussed. The story documented the negative effects of the fast-track deportation procedures in place since 1996, focusing on the Chicago enforcement area (Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin) with a number of eye-opening statistics: 

  • In 2011, of the total 11,786 deportations in Chicago enforcement area, 60 percent... Continue Reading
Posted In: Immigration
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