Illinois coalition urges Biden to extend work permits for migrant
workers
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[April 05, 2024]
By Kevin Bessler | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – A coalition of community, business and labor
groups is urging the Biden administration to extend work permits for
undocumented workers in Illinois.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson joined the American Business Immigration
Coalition Thursday for a roundtable discussion in an effort they said
was designed to address a growing labor shortage and stabilize the
workforce.
“We are going to continue to urge President Biden to use every tool that
is at his disposal to support our new arrivals and undocumented
residents,” Johnson said.
The coalition reports that immigrant workers in Illinois contribute $1.5
billion in taxes and make up 4.3% of the state’s workforce. They said
the state is home to 480,000 long-term undocumented residents.
Jim Reynolds, CEO of the brokerage firm Loop Capital, said the state’s
population loss has affected the workforce.
“It’s downstate that really has suffered loss of population,” Reynolds
said. “The Peorias, the Rockfords, the Joliets, the Auroras, the
Champaigns, where these companies are located, the secret weapon here in
Illinois is more workers.”
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Mayor Brandon Johnson and Rebecca Shi, ED of ABIC- American Business
Immigration Coalition
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There was nationwide backlash when Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into
law that allows for non-U.S. citizens to apply to become police
officers.
The bill “provides that an individual who is not a citizen but is
legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law is
authorized to apply for the position of police officer, subject to all
requirements and limitations, other than citizenship, to which other
applicants are subject.” They must legally be authorized to both work
and carry a firearm in the country.
Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller, a Republican, blasted the law on X,
formerly Twitter.
“No sane state would allow foreign nationals to arrest their citizens,
this is madness!” Miller wrote. |