AMENDMENT TO “WELCOMING CITY” ORDINANCE WILL MAKE IMMIGRANTS SAFER
Community members would be protected from coercion and threat of deportation
CHICAGO – Advocacy groups and Aldermen from the City Council Progressive Caucus announced the introduction of an amendment to Chicago’s Welcoming City ordinance that would make the city safer for immigrant communities. Authored by Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago along with members of the Chicago City Council’s Progressive Caucus, the amendment would prohibit city employees, including police officers, from using coercion and threat of deportation against community members, and provide an additional avenue of accountability for police officers who violate the ordinance.
“At a time when Sanctuary City policies are under attack, national anti-immigrant rhetoric is on the rise, and police misconduct permeates every jurisdiction in the country, something must be done to protect the residents of Chicago,” said Andy Kang, Legal Director of Advancing Justice | Chicago. “This amendment will protect the Asian American community, which stands with Black and Latino communities against police brutality and xenophobia.”
The amendment comes one year after a town hall meeting hosted by Advancing Justice | Chicago, where members of the Asian American community called for greater accountability following the Jessica Klyzek case, where Ms. Klyzek, an American citizen, was physically assaulted and threatened with deportation by police officers. At the meeting, the community made several demands, including revisions to the Welcoming City ordinance such as the ones introduced in this amendment.
Alderman Scott Waguespack (32nd Ward) will introduce the amendment in the City Council when session begins on Wednesday.
“We look forward to working with Mayor Emanuel and the City Council to pass this amendment and fulfill our common goal of keeping Chicago the most immigrant-friendly city in America,” continued Kang. “Today, the City Council takes the first steps in keeping its promise to the Asian American and immigrant communities of Chicago.”
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Asian Americans Advancing Justice—Chicago is the leading pan-Asian, multi-issue organization in the Midwest dedicated to empowering the Asian American community through advocacy by utilizing education, research, and coalition-building. Established in 1992, Advancing Justice—Chicago (formerly the Asian American Institute) was founded by a group of visionary Chicago community activists, academicians, and business leaders in response to the growing need to build a pan-Asian policy agenda among Chicago’s diverse Asian American communities. Advancing Justice-Chicago projects a united voice on the most pressing issues of concern to Asian Americans in metropolitan Chicago.
Advancing Justice—Chicago is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It is a member of the Asian Americans Advancing Justice national affiliation, with partner affiliates in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Atlanta.