The Illinois legislature now has elected its first Latina to Congress!

Our Associate Director, Diego F. Samayoa, along with our Youth and Outreach Program Director, Susana Salgado, joined immigration supporters gathered on Wednesday November 9 to celebrate the election results of their public campaign efforts. Also, Illinois Coalition for Immigrants and Refugees Rights along with member organizations cheers their achievements, including registering over 33,000 new immigrant voters, these new strategies were handful to reach Hispanic, Asian and Arabic’s speakers and the victories of reform-minded candidates they supported.

“I don’t know about you all, but I am fired up right now,” said Lawrence Benito, Executive Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, addressing a crowd inside the Pilsen offices of coalition partner Casa Michoacan. On ICIRR’s press conference also was mentioned the following words: “When pro-immigrant voters get to the polls, pro-immigrant officials win elections.”

On Wednesday November 9, various candidates the group had supported were present in the conference to celebrate, including state Rep. Delia Ramirez, the Illinois delegation’s first Latina in Congress; state Rep.-elect Hoan Huynh, the first Vietnamese American member of the Illinois General Assembly; the Illinois state Senator for District 7 Mike Simmons, the state Senator of the 12^th District Celina Villanueva, and state Rep.-elect Abdelnasser Rashid; who was one of the first Arab Americans elected to the General Assembly in several years.

The group summarized policies they want candidates to carry out. They include expanding Medicare and Medicaid access to immigrants outside currently accepted age limits; creating a permanent state child tax credit that would include immigrant households; and restricting surveillance by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.

The 13 officials present at the event signed a poster committing to pursuing and supporting these policies.