Editor’s Note

Welcome to Newswire — your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what action we can take to make our city great, featuring public meeting coverage by City Bureau’s Documenters.

Quote of the Week

“The challenges Chicago has faced with new arrivals stem from the fact that our social safety net has never been adequate to support the community and the federal government has failed to change the way we view migrants.”

— Dulce Guzman, deputy director of institutional development at Alianza Americas, on why Chicago must prepare for more migration


[City Council Committee on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, July 2, 2024]

Ready or not

Alders plan to hold regular hearings with the city’s police and law departments about U-visas, which provide a path to citizenship for undocumented migrants who can demonstrate they migrated to escape violence. A December 2022 investigation by Injustice Watch pointed out significant delays and failures with Chicago’s U-visa process.

Alders also called on the federal government to add Ecuador to a list of countries whose nationals can apply for Temporary Protected Status in the U.S. due to challenges like natural disasters, organized crime, and economic and political instability. For eligible migrants, TPS is a temporary shortcut that allows them to live and work here without a green card. Other current TPS countries include El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

Experts on climate migration warned it will continue to strain existing social safety nets unless places like Chicago build new systems and collaborate to meet the moment. Dulce Guzman of Alianza Americas, a coalition of migrant-led organizations, addressed the intersection of disinvestment and environmental racism in many Chicago communities with the wave of climate migration from Central and South America, saying, “We often receive neighbors or guests when our house is not cleaned up. I think we can both clean up our home, improve it and also welcome new neighbors.”

Keeping the peace

Charles Isaacs of the Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, the city agency that supports police district councils’ work, said CCPSA is encouraging councils to focus on piloting initiatives locally and strategies for citywide collaboration on improving policing, accountability and community engagement.

Isaacs attended a meeting of the 19th Police District Council last week and commended them as a “model” when it comes to communication and alignment on their work. The three council members — who serve a district that includes Lakeview, North Center and Uptown — discussed how to expand mental health crisis response services and improve data reporting. They also expressed frustration about the significant police presence at the Pride Parade and mass arrests that night.

A version of this story was first published in the July 10, 2024 issue of the Newswire, an email newsletter that is your weekly guide to Chicago government, civic action and what we can do to make our city great. You can sign up for the weekly newsletter here.

Have thoughts on what you'd like to see in this feature? Email Editorial Director Ariel Cheung at ariel@citybureau.org.