BRANDON JOHNSON
MAYOR
May 15,2023
Anna Valencia City Clerk Room 107, City Hall Chicago, IL 60602
Dear Ms. Valencia:
I transmit herewith for filing Executive Orders Nos. 2023-15, 2023-16, 2023-17 and 2023- 18, which I have signed this date.
Your prompt attention to these matters is appreciated.
Sincerely,
Mayor
BRANDON JOHNSON
MAYOR
EXECUTI VE ORDER NO. 2023-16 EXECUTIVE ORDER ON IMMIGRANT. MIGRANT. AND REFUGEE RIGHTS
WHEREAS, throughout Chicago's history, immigrants from across the world have built and strengthened the social, economic, and cultural fabric of the City of Chicago (the "City"); and
WHEREAS, a Black Haitian immigrant, Jean Baptiste DuSable, is recognized as the founder of our City; and
WHEREAS, the foundation of our City today was built by the vibrant and important history and struggles of the indigenous people and Native Americans who lived and thrived on this land for many years before settlers first came to the region; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is located on the traditional homelands of the Anishinaabe, or the Council of the Three Fires: the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations; and
WHEREAS, Chicago also has a history as a refuge to many different peoples, including those who came here to escape enslavement, oppression, and climate change; and
WHEREAS, Chicago became one of the first sanctuary cities in the country on July 18, 1982, when Wellington Avenue Church congregation voted to become just the second church in the U.S. to provide a safe haven for Central Americans fleeing political oppression and violence; and
WHEREAS, Mayor Harold Washington signed an Executive Order on March 7, 1985, halting City agencies' cooperation with federal immigration authorities; and
WHEREAS, the ongoing crisis of newly arriving asylum seekers and migrants into the City of Chicago has illuminated the immense challenges that the City must face and overcome in order to provide support and services to our new arrivals; and
WHEREAS, hundreds of mutual aid volun...
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