Biden should help undocumented immigrants get work permits, advocates say

Joe Biden at lectern
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks at an event honoring the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Rehabilitation Act (Rehab Act), at the White House on October 02, 2023 in Washington, DC. Photo credit (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

(WBBM NEWSRADIO) – Chicago’s immigrant community will hold a rally next week in Pilsen, demanding work permits for all – not just for the migrants who have been bused to U.S. cities from the Southern Border.

Last week, the Biden Administration announced temporary legal status for about 500,000 recently arrived Venezuelan asylum-seekers. This shortens their pathway to working legally in the country.

At Pilsen’s non-profit Resurrection Project, immigration organizer Laura Mendoza said millions of undocumented immigrants have been trying to work legally for decades but have instead been “working in the shadows.”

“They pay taxes, they’ve done their duty, they love this country, they want to stay here,” she said. “We’re asking, we’re demanding that the administration allow them to have the dignity of having a work permit.”

The support rally will be Thursday Oct. 12.

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Featured Image Photo Credit: (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)