On Tuesday, Chicago voters trudged to the polls and picked from a handful of candidates for the office of Mayor. Voters had more candidates than ever to choose from. Undocumented immigrants won at the polls by Tuesday night.
Lori Lightfoot, who was the first to declare she’d made it to the April runoff, ran on a campaign of offering protection and hope to those who rely on sanctuary city policies. Lightfoot’s website says “Chicago must be a city where every person from every background has security and opportunity”. Lightfoot supports strengthening Chicago’s Welcoming City Ordinance and abolishing ICE altogether. Her opponent, Toni Preckwinkle, is equally supportive of immigrant rights.
As early as 2011 Preckwinkle called for the end of civil immigration arrests in courthouses. She has been a strong opponent of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, saying time and again that municipal authorities “are not federal agents” and will not do the work of federal agents. In 2016, the Cook County Board of Commissioners under Preckwinkle approved an ordinance that allows uninsured Cook County residents earning under $48,000 as well as undocumented immigrants to see primary care physicians within the Cook County Health & Hospital System.
While no one knows who will win the race, it is certain Chicago’s sanctuary friendly policies will remain intact through the next Mayoral term.
If you need any help with an immigration issue please contact our office at 855-554-6369.
