On Tuesday, July 23, Governor JB Pritzker signed two bills into law (HB836 and HB1553) that would protect immigrant children in Illinois. These bills were supported by the Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment (PAVE) Coalition and sponsored by State Representative Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz.

Justin Valas, Advancing Justice | Chicago’s Policy Director, spoke at the bill signing ceremony:

Today, we are excited to be among fellow Illinoisans welcoming these vital protections for immigrant youth and immigrant families into law.

For well over 100 years, Asian Americans have seen the impact of immigration policy on our families and communities-

From our Chinese immigrants detained on Angel Island under the Chinese Exclusion Act;

To young Japanese Americans, and our Japanese immigrant families, surrounded by barbed wire under Executive Order 9066;

We know the stories of our families caught up in an impossible immigration system, and the worries over what immigration enforcement could mean for our families and children.

While we work to reunite families and end detention at the federal level, we know that there’s so much that states can do to protect immigrant families and communities. With these bills signed today, Illinois is once again showing its commitment to our immigrant youth, families, and communities. We are proud to have worked alongside legislators and community organizations, including our partners in the Pan-Asian Voter Empowerment Coalition to pass these important protections. Our communities speak with the weight and power of history when we say that these protections are important, they are the right thing to do.

• News coverage from the bill signing:
  Chicago Sun-Times: Pritzker: Illinois a ‘firewall’ against Trump’s ‘wrongful’ immigration policies 
• ABC 7 Chicago: Governor JB Pritzker signs bills to protect immigrant youth 
• WGN TV (AP): Pritzker signs laws aimed at protecting immigrant youth in Illinois 
• CapitolFax: Pritzker signs bills designed to protect the children of undocumented residents 
• Capitol News Illinois: Pritzker signs bills protecting immigrant youths

Sophia Tareen and Colleen Long of the Associated Press covered the community response to the Trump Administration’s plan to ramp up deportations.

The Trump administration is moving forward with a nationwide immigration enforcement operation targeting migrant families, despite loud opposition from Democrats and questions over whether it’s the best use of resources given the crisis at the border.

The operation could happen as soon as this weekend after being postponed by President Donald Trump late last month. It would pursue people with final deportation orders, including families whose immigration cases were fast-tracked by judges in 10 major cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Miami.

The plan has sparked outrage and concern among immigrant-rights advocates and lawmakers.

…

Some activists said they were gearing up for operations to start Sunday and planned to protest. Organizers estimated a rally planned for Saturday in Chicago would draw around 10,000 people.

“We will not be swayed by fear and fiat,” said Justin Valas with Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Chicago.

Read the full story:

• Fox 32 News (Chicago)
• US News & World Report
• Baltimore Sun
• Oakland Press
• Colorado Politics

Advancing Justice | Chicago’s Executive Director Andy Kang appeared on CLTV’s Politics Tonight with Paul Lisnek to talk about the Trump Administration’s efforts to add a “citizenship question” to the 2020 Census, the current legal cases, and how such a question would affect Census participation among immigrant communities.