CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Over 400 immigrant community leaders joined the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) at Benito Juarez High School on Saturday to rally for pro-immigrant policies in Illinois.
Esmeralda Montesinos, with Brighton Park Neighborhood Council, said one of the main things immigrant leaders are pushing for the 2023 platform is the Immigrant Service Line Item, known as ISLI.
"We are asking for $53 million for ISLI, and that would help cover things such as citizenship support, DACA and citizenship fee waivers,” she said. “It would help with cash assistance, and it would go straight to support for asylum seekers."
Saturday’s rally, Montesinos said, was a way to command attention and action from the state’s lawmakers.
“We're coming together to show community power to our elected officials and essentially showing them and being able to hold them accountable for their public support,” she said. “It's a moment for all of us to celebrate as well, the incredible power that we've created.”
The coalition’s 2023 goals were the product of organizers collecting direct feedback from immigrant communities across Illinois, Montesinos said.
“We went around with surveys, talked to our community, and we asked them: ‘Out of all these things, which ones are the ones that you think are the most important? Which ones do you think it is that we should prioritize and push for this upcoming year — what would make a difference in your life, or in the life of your loved ones?’” she said.
Montesinos is a Mexican immigrant and a DACA recipient. She said being able to create change in her community inspires her to continue fighting for immigration rights.
“When we are creating these connections with our legislators, when we are uplifting our community and our community comes out and shows their power — we are able to win,” she said. “That serves as a continuous catalyst … gives people more energy to keep going.”
A full breakdown of the ICIRR’s 2023 platform can be found here.
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