CHICAGO, IL – October 12, 2023 – Today, hundreds gathered in Pilsen to rally and have their voices heard and demand work permits for all. Elected officials, immigrant leaders, immigrant workers, and community members call on President Joe Biden and the Administration, who 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.

Chicago is home to more than 180,000 undocumented immigrants working for decades without work permits, making them vulnerable to exploitation. Undocumented workers continue to work in the shadows and are underpaid and under-employed. 

More than 11 million undocumented immigrants have lived in the U.S. for decades and contribute to our economy, culture, and fabric of America. Expanding work permits for immigrants is the simple solution, and immigration reform is the long-term solution.

The work continues towards the Here To Work summit in Washington, D.C on November 13 and 14, 2023. Partners from across the country will gather to host a summit for thousands of people directly impacted to continue to press the Biden Administration. To deliver powerful support for this solution are advocates, immigrant leaders, Members of Congress, Governors, and community members. 

For more information about the Work Permits For All campaign and the Washington D.C. summit visit, www.workpermits4all.org

To watch the full video and view the rally pictures, click here. 

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 repopulating areas/states that are seeing a 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, Binational Institute for Human Development, Hispanic Federation, Enlace Chicago, Centro Sin Fronteras, Lincoln United Methodist Church, Chicago Community and Worker’s Rights, Chicago Workers’ Collaborative, Erie Neighborhood House, Mujeres Latinas En Accion, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Latino Policy Forum, Instituto del Progreso Latino, Pilsen Neighbors Community Council, La Casa Norte, and LULAC Local Councils. 

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.