Gov. Pritzker and Mayor Johnson ask feds to fast-track work authorization for migrants; aldermen advance new housing for asylum-seekers
CHICAGO — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson sent a joint letter Monday to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas requesting streamlined work authorization that would let Illinois sponsor non-citizens to work in industries facing labor shortages.
“As we continue to receive new arrivals who often lack sponsors, shelter, and have no immediate legal pathways to work, we have come to understand that this is not a short-term crisis, but rather a longterm reality,” the letter sent Monday reads.
The joint ask is for Homeland Security to grant asylum-seekers parole through the “Significant Public Benefit” designation, in which states would sponsor individuals to work in critical industries. Among the industries identified in Illinois, according to the letter, are “food processing, clean energy,
