Maxine Freedman
2038 W Fletcher St, Chicago, IL 60618
Phone: 773-329-3178
Email:
Steve Huntley
Editorial Columnist
Chicago Sun-Times
May 7, 2015
Dear Mr. Huntley,
My name is Maxine Freedman, and I am a first year student at Macalester College. I have lived in Chicago since birth and have been invested in Chicago politics since I started high school at Northside College Prep in 2010. As a student involved with Mikva Challenge, a nonprofit that seeks to engage youth in politics, I campaigned for Miguel del Valle in the 2011 mayoral race. Although I was not in Chicago for the most recent mayoral election, I followed it closely from St. Paul. I became interested in how immigrant issues were playing into the election after taking a class entitled “Urban Latino Power” about Latino political incorporation. I found that for the most part, these topics were not discussed during the mayoral race and wanted to find out for myself how they were addressed by each candidate.
This article discusses how immigrant issues affected the 2015 mayoral election. It includes interviews with Jesse Hoyt, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia’s field director, and Blanca Chavez, a 73-year-old Guatemalan immigrant who has lived in the city for over twenty years. Both gave their perspectives on how they felt the two candidates addressed immigrant priorities and how they foresee the current mayor attending to those concerns. I also write about how Emanuel connected with the immigrant community in his first term as mayor.
The Chicago Sun Times might like to publish this article because the media has written so little about Chicago’s immigrant community and what impact it had on the mayoral race. Instead, most media about the race concerned itself with fiscal challenges like taxes and pensions. Although solving these problems are key to the future of our city, immigrant issues must also command attention during Emanuel’s second term. Chicago is a city of immigrants, and it is essential that we begin a discussion of how the city’s government can address the obstacles that are facing the immigrant community.
Thank you so much for your consideration!
Sincerely,
Maxine Freedman
A City of Immigrants:
How Immigrant Issues Played a Role in the 2015 Chicago Mayoral Election
Maxine Freedman
Spring 2015
In a 2011 article for Chicago Magazine, Congressman Luis Gutierrez told voters why they shouldn’t vote for candidate Rahm Emanuel: “When you think of Rahm there isn’t a public policy that germinates to your mind.”[1] Gutierrez, a fervent immigration advocate, changed his tune when he supported Emanuel in the 2015 election this spring.[2]Endorsing Emanuel was a bold and potentially dangerous move on Gutierrez’s part. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Emanuel’s main opponent, is a longtime member of both the Latino and immigrant communities as a Mexican immigrant who has acted as a civil servant in Chicago for more than three decades.[3]In a city fraught with fiscal disasters like the pension crisis and the city’s bankruptcy[4], it became easy to ignore key social issues in the mayoral race like those facing the immigrant community. Gutierrez’s unexpected decision to support Emanuel and turn his back on Garcia pushed forward the question of which candidate would truly best serve the interests of the immigrant community.
In fact, Rahm Emanuel hardly ignored immigrant issues in his first term as mayor. In 2011 he made it his goal to turn Chicago into the most immigrant-friendly city in the world. This was in many ways a 180° change from his stance on immigration during his time in both the Clinton and Obama administrations. Emanuel cautioned Clinton to take a hard stance on illegal immigration and advised Obama to vote against immigration reform.[5] As soon as he became mayor of Chicago, though, his approach changed.[6] Within a few months of taking office, Emanuel had established the Office of New Americans as part of city government. The goal of this office was to assist new immigrants in accessing city services, to support provisions like the Illinois DREAM Act, and to work with organizations already supporting the immigrant community in Chicago.[7] Even this past summer, Emanuel turned Chicago into a shelter for undocumented youth fleeing to America in order to escape human rights violations.[8]
Jesse Hoyt, deputy field director for Garcia’s campaign, weighed in on how he felt each candidate addressed immigrant issues. He gave his perspective not only on what Garcia would have done had he been elected mayor, but also on what concerns he felt Emanuel should focus on in his second term. Garcia, Hoyt said, would have championed a number of solutions to the challenges facing the immigrant community. He mentionedincreasing access to resources, improvingaccess to quality education, eliminating disparities in educational funding to schools in immigrant communities, and enhancing the city’s efforts to welcome new immigrants. He applauded Emanuel’s creation of the Office of New Americans as a platform to connect with the immigrant community and make sure members of that community have outlets to learn. Hoyt is definitely expecting more, however, after Emanuel’s win this April. He says that Emanuel “got it started but hasn’t connected with community groups who are trying to do the same work.” It remains to be seen whether Emanuel’s Office of New Americans attends to the priorities highlighted by Garcia’s campaign. Hoyt worries that if Emanuel does not concentrate his energy on collaborating with community coalitions to tackle these issues, the obstacles facing the immigrant community will only get worse.[9]
Chicago has a long history of welcoming new immigrants into the city. Not only that, immigrants built the city. Although the immigrant population in Chicago is actually extremely diverse, Latino immigrants now make up the majority.[10] Blanca Chavez, a 73-year-old Guatemalan immigrant who has lived in the city for over twenty years, says that the ever-growing Chicago immigrant community is impossible to ignore. “The mayor helps immigrants and Latinos because he has to,” she says. “We’re such a big voting bloc that he has no choice but to pay attention, and we need change. Chuy seemed like he wanted to enact that change. We’ll see what Emanuel does with his second term.”[11]
[1]Felsenthal, Carol. 2011. “Luis Gutierrez on Why Rahm Emanuel Should Not Be Mayor.” Chicago Magazine, January 18. (May 6, 2015).
[2] Lillis, Mike. 2015. “Gutierrez all in for Rahm.” The Hill, March 26. (May 6, 2015).
[3]Garcia for Chicago. 2015. “Meet Chuy.” Garcia for Chicago. (May 6, 2015).
[4] Jones, Tim. 2015. “Chicago’s Unmentionable Pension Solution Haunts Mayoral Election.” Bloomberg Business, March 26. (May 6, 2015).
[5] Green, Emma. 2013. “How Becoming Mayor Changed Rahm Emanuel on Immigration Reform.” The Atlantic, July 16. (May 6, 2015).
[6]Guarino, Mark. 2015. “Rahm Emanuel ‘changed his tune on immigration reform’ challenger insists.” The Guardian, February 24. (May 6, 2015).
[7]Mayor’s Press Office. 2011. “Mayor Emanuel Announces Creation of Office of New Americans…” The City of Chicago. July 19. (May 6, 2015).
[8] Howell, Kellan. 2014. “Rahm Emanuel: Send illegal immigrant shelter kids to Chicago.” Washington Times, July 26. (May 6, 2015).
[9] Interview conducted on May 1, 2015
[10]Oliva, Sonia. 2010. “Permission to March? High School Youth Participation in the Immigrant Rights Movement.” In ¡Marcha¡ Latino Chicago… (Ch. 9)
[11] Translated from Spanish, interview conducted on April 29, 2015