Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed an executive order on August 2, 2021, creating the Welcoming Illinois Office for Immigrants and Refugees:
“Throughout my governorship I’ve directed my administration to adopt policies that make Illinois a welcoming state for immigrants, and I’m proud to sign these accountability measures into law to advance our cause. Every family, every child, every human being deserves to feel safe and secure in the place they call home. I am committed to making sure that value defines what it means to live in Illinois.”
– Governor JB Pritzker
The Welcoming Illinois Office will report to the Office of the Governor and the Secretary of the Department of Human Services. The Office will coordinate, develop and implement policies and practices to make Illinois a more welcoming and equitable state for immigrants and refugees. The Office will be led by the Senior Immigration Fellow.
What Is the Senior Immigration Fellow?
Illinois is home to 1.8 million immigrants, the sixth-largest immigrant population of any state in the nation. On May 5, 2021, Gov Pritzker appointed Ruth Lopez McCarthy as Senior Immigration Fellow. The Senior Immigration Fellow coordinates with Illinois agencies across the state on immigration and refugee issues including the Bureau of Immigrant and Refugee Services and Illinois Welcoming Centers.
Gov. Pritzker has signed into law other efforts to ensure Illinois is the most welcoming state for immigrants and to protect the safety and wellbeing of immigrant and refugee families including:
• banned the establishment of private, for-profit immigrant detention centers
• preventing landlords from wrongfully using a tenant’s immigration status against them
• provide undocumented students with access to state financial aid
Contact Godoy Law Office’s skilled immigration lawyers in Chicago, Lombard and Oak Brook. We can answer any questions about immigration and guide you through every step of the process.
Godoy Law Office serves the entire Chicago, Illinois area including DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will, and Lake Counties.
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AREAS WE SERVE: Godoy Law Office serves the entire Chicago, Illinois area including DuPage, Cook, Kane, Will, and Lake Counties
