CHICAGO, IL – October 2, 2023 – Today, immigrant leaders and community members gathered to announce a rally to mobilize more than 500 people to demand work permits for all on Thursday, October 12, 2023, in Pilsen.

President Joe Biden and the Administration have the authority to use the existing law to expand work permits through parole to all immigrants, including the undocumented, as they have granted parole with a work permit to nearly 550,000 immigrants and extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) redesignation to more than 470,000.

“Today we are talking about immigrants in the U.S. that are working without a work permit and are vulnerable to losing everything, said Erendira Rendon, Vice President of Immigrant Justice at The Resurrection Project (TRP). “We are calling the community to rally and demand that the Biden Administration extend work permits for all.”

“Mexican immigrants have been working for decades without any work permits, and we have been ignored and forgotten, said Netza Hualcoyotl Roldan, CEO of the Binational Institute of Human Development. “President Biden and the administration have implemented TPS programs and granted work permits for people arriving from countries such as Afghanistan, Myanmar, Ukraine, Haiti, and Venezuela. It is our time.”

More than 11 million undocumented immigrants have lived in the U.S. for decades who contribute to our economy, culture, and fabric of America.

Additional Information

What you need to know about Parole Authority:

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can exercise its discretionary parole authority to temporarily parole into the U.S. or parole in place noncitizens to fill vacant positions where doing so would provide a significant public benefit to the U.S.

• Parole and state-sponsored work authorization would allow states and local government units experiencing population loss and labor shortages a mechanism to attract new workers.

• Individual states and local governments would have the option of participating by identifying geographic areas with labor shortages and inviting workers to apply for open positions in line with state needs. Individual workers can be sponsored by employers, advocacy groups or other organizations.

• Parole provides a strategy to address labor shortages while increasing economic activity and repopulation of areas/states that are seeing significant decline.

What you need to know about TPS:

• TPS is a temporary immigration status for people already in the U.S. who cannot return to their home country because of extraordinary and temporary conditions.

• TPS provides a work permit and protection from detention and deportation.

• TPS does not provide a path to permanent residency or citizenship.

• You may qualify if you are a Venezuelan national, arrived in the U.S. before July 31, 2023, and passed security background checks.

• The Department of Homeland Security has not yet opened the application.

Thank you to our partners: The Resurrection Project, Southwest Organizing Project, Casa Michoacan, Binational Institute for Human Development, Enlace Chicago, Lincoln United Methodist Church, Chicago Community and Worker’s Rights, Chicago Workers’ Collaborative, Erie Neighborhood House, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Latino Policy Forum, Instituto del Progreso Latino, LULAC Local Councils.

To view today’s press conference, click here.

The Resurrection Project (TRP) builds trusting relationships to educate and propel individuals, immigrants, and families to achieve their social and economic aspirations, stable homes, and equitable participation in their community. TRP is a leading provider of affordable housing, financial education, and immigration services on Chicago’s Southwest side. 
 
For more than three decades TRP has worked to improve the lives of individuals and families by creating wealth, building assets, and engaging residents to be catalysts for change. Rooted in the Pilsen community, TRP’s impact now extends across the City of Chicago and through the State of Illinois; we are making steady progress towards leveraging and preserving more than $1 billion in community wealth by 2025.