ICIRR Commemorates 25th Anniversary

 Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Local NewsThe Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) celebrated its 25th anniversary on Thursday, June 2 with two events. Earlier in the afternoon and as part of a day of celebrations, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services Director (USCIS) Alejandro Mayorkas sworn in 50 brand new citizens, many of them directly assisted by the New Americans Initiative (NAI) – a partnership between ICIRR and the State of Illinois- in the process to become U.S. citizens.

 Lawndale News Chicago's Bilingual Newspaper - Local NewsThe main event was a celebration with hundreds of community members, leaders, allies, youth and board members at Galleria Marchetti. Senator Dick Durbin along with state legislators and aldermen joined the celebration of recent victories including the passage of the Illinois DREAM Act, the termination of the Secure Communities program in Illinois and the creation of redistricting maps that will better reflect the diversity of our state and enable better representation for immigrant communities. “As the son of an immigrant, I understand that we are a nation of immigrants, from our business leaders to our doctors, nurses, firefighters, and teachers,” said Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL). “I congratulate ICIRR on 25 years of service to Chicagoland’s immigrant community.” At the event, participants underscored the contributions, importance of integration and positive impact of immigrants in Illinois and the vital role of the coalition and its members in achieving these successes throughout the years. “We are very proud of these recent accomplishments,” said Joshua Hoyt, ICIRR Executive Director. “We thank all those before me that helped built this coalition now one of the largest and most diverse in the country.” For more information about ICIRR, visit www.icirr.org.

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