On July 23, 2019, Illinois passed two new laws to protect immigrant youth “in the wake of attacks on immigrant families by the Trump administration.”
House Bill 836 ensures that children are able to have short-term guardians if their parent is detained or deported by ICE. This bill allows a person in the country illegally to appoint a short-term guardian for their children in case they are detained or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE.
House Bill 1553 better enables undocumented youth to obtain visas by aligning state laws with existing federal laws. The new law streamlines Illinois state laws with existing federal laws to help undocumented youth obtain specific visas in the cases of abuse, neglect or abandonment.
In a press release announcing the immigration new laws, Governor JB Pritzker said,
“The accomplishments we have secured together have been done in the name of this shared belief: Nobody should ever be treated as less than a person because of where they were born. That’s not the message coming from Washington. Just this morning, the Trump administration announced a new class of undocumented immigrants to be subjected to expedited deportation. Once again, they are demonizing people who don’t look and think like they do. There is no place for that in Illinois. I’m proud to sign legislation that offers greater stability to the lives of immigrant children who deserve all the hope we can give them.”
Governor J. B. Pritzker was elected governor of Illinois in 2019, and campaigned in support of immigrant rights, tweeting,
When I’m governor, immigrant families in Illinois and those who stand with them will have a partner in Springfield. #DREAMActNow
The attorneys at Chicago’s Godoy Law Office fight for immigrant rights and help immigrants navigate the complex and numerous immigration policies, procedures, and regulations. If you need help with an immigration issue, please contact our office at 855-554-6369.
Immigration Attorney Mario Godoy has years of experience guiding clients with immigration issues through the immigration process along with guiding clients through the criminal case. Godoy focuses on family-based immigration law, business immigration law, removal defense, and criminal defense representation of immigrants. A criminal charge or conviction can be devastating to your immigration case. With over a decade of immigration law experience and memories of family members who were deported due to bad legal advice, Godoy is committed to helping other immigrant families receive the legal justice they deserve. As a legal entrepreneur who practices immigration law, criminal law, estate and probate law, and running two successful law firms, Mario Godoy understands the importance of keeping families together and making a home and future in America.
