[CHICAGO, IL] — Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) hosted a roundtable with elected officials, community leaders and representatives of immigration and refugee organizations to discuss the issues facing immigrant communities in the Trump era. Duckworth highlighted her efforts in the Senate to combat the Trump Administration’s discriminatory executive orders against immigrants and instead move towards immigration reform that is practical, fair and humane. A photo of today’s discussion is available here.
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“America is at its best when we welcome immigrants who work hard every day to build a better life for themselves and their families, but President Trump’s policies and proposals would take us down a much darker path,” said Duckworth. “I’m grateful to have met with local leaders today to hear about their ongoing work to support immigrant communities at the grassroots level. I look forward to continuing my work to support comprehensive immigration reform.”
In January, Duckworth called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General to conduct an independent investigation into the Trump administration’s chaotic and potentially illegal implementation of the President’s travel ban. Following Duckworth’s request, the Inspector General quickly launched an investigation, which is ongoing. Duckworth has also helped introduce legislation to rescind President Trump’s discriminatory executive orders barring immigrants from six Muslim-majority countries and withholding federal funds from sanctuary cities. Since Duckworth was sworn in to office in January, she has been a vocal critic of President Trump discriminatory actions and an advocate for a more fair and humane immigration system.
In attendance at today’s roundtable were State Representative Elizabeth Hernandez (IL-24), Executive Director of the National Immigration Justice Center Mary Meg MaCarthy, National Immigrant Justice Center Director of Policy Heidi Altman, National Immigrant Justice Center Associate Director of Legal Services Karolyn Talbert, Council on American-Islamic Relations Deputy Director Sufyan Sohel, ACLU Illinois Director of Communications and Public Policy Ed Yohunka, Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago Deborah Covington, Executive Director of the Chinese Mutual Aid Association Dennis Mondero, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) Senior Policy Counsel Fred Tsao, Resurrection Project Director of National Projects Erendira Rendon, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Legal Director Andy Kang and Centro Sin Fronteras founder Pastor Emma Lozano.
