Committee on Education and Childhood Development
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago is a home rule unit of government pursuant to the 1970 Illinois Constitution, Article VII, Section 6(a); and
WHEREAS, pursuant to its home rule power, the City of Chicago may exercise any power and perform any function relating to its government and affairs including the power to regulate for the protection of the public health, safety, morals and welfare; and
WHEREAS, in 2012, former President Barack Obama passed an executive order for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a short-term solution until Congress could pass a comprehensive reform such as the DREAM Act; and
WHEREAS, to be eligible for DACA the applicant must be under age 31, be a student or have graduated from a high school or GED program, have entered the United States prior to age 16 and not have committed any serious crimes; and
WHEREAS, being declared eligible for DACA does not guarantee a path to citizenship, however, it does provide a work permit, makes applicants eligible to obtain a Social Security Number, and grants them the ability to receive a driver's license; and
WHEREAS, Illinois has the nation's fourth largest population of DACA recipients—the highest in the Midwest—with 41,800 people approved since 2012; and
WHEREAS, the top two countries of origin for DACA-eligible immigrants living in Illinois are Mexico and Korea, with 77,000 and 2,000 respectively; and
WHEREAS, Illinois is reported to have 10,000 immigrants from China, 13,000 from Poland and 18,000 from India based on statistics from the Migration Policy Institute (2014); and
WHEREAS, DACA has increased the education and employment opportunities for this population, increasing and strengthening their ties to Chicago; and
WHEREAS, the change in administration has threatened the continuation of this program and therefore the protections afforded to this population; and
WHEREAS, 96,000 immigrants who qualify for DACA in Illinois, will have no protection if the program is removed, creating an alarming sense of uncertainty and fear; and
WHEREAS, the City of Chicago has a commitment to protect its citizens, particularly our children and teenagers who may not have entered the country illegally by their own accord and should not be penalized for the wrongdoings of others; and
WHEREAS, many of these childhood arrivals know no other life than the one they created in Chicago, in Chicago schools and in Chicago neighborhoods, and returning them to a country they do not know, is a brutal punishment; now, therefore,
Committee on Education and Childhood Development
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
That the Department of Family and Support Services appear before the Committee on Education and Child Development to discuss the support and legal resources available to undocumented immigrants and their families to help them cope with this state of uncertainty; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
That the Health and Human Services unit of the Department of Innovation and Technology develop a webpage under the City's official site where forms, education tools, and a directory of services is provided to help undocumented immigrants gain information and resources needed to complete their DACA and/or citizenship applications.