Chicago solidifies its status as a welcoming city
Mayor Lightfoot extends Coronavirus protections to immigrants and refugees
The Mayor of the City of Chicago, Lori Lightfoot, signed an Executive Order today April 7th ensuring that ALL Chicagoans, regardless of their immigration status, have equal access to the city’s COVID-19 related benefits.
In her press conference Tuesday morning, Mayor Lightfoot stated that the “Federal government has tried everything under the sun to stigmatize and scare them [immigrants] in to the shadows”, but Chicago has been unwavering in its “unqualified support” of the city’s immigrant and refugee community. In her opinion, this Executive Order is more than just a decree, it is a reflection of “our values as a city and as Americans.”
The expansion of the city’s COVID-19 benefits to its immigrant and refugee community means that such individuals now have access to a housing assistance grant program, online learning resources for students at all levels of education, and a $100 million Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund, which allows small business owners to apply for disaster relief cash.
“Since COVID-19 first reached our city’s doorstep, we have been working around the clock to ensure all our residents are secure and supported”, Lightfoot said in her statement. “Here in Chicago, saying we are all in this together means that during this crisis, no one gets left out and no one gets left behind.”
If you would like to watch Mayor Lightfoot’s press-conference from this morning, please click here.
