Chicago Politics

National Immigrant Heritage Month Celebration 6.5.25

Description

Mayor Brandon Johnson attends the National Immigrant Heritage Month Reception.

Transcript

1:54 First time emceeing anything, but like the firstborn child of immigrants, we step up, meet the moment, and try our best. So it's a pleasure to welcome you to the second annual National Immigrant Heritage Month. Before we begin our program, I want to thank a number of folks and teams and individuals who helped put this together. Thank you to the Chicago Public Library for hosting us.

2:28 Also, Tandor Char House and Chef Ferasar Haria and Chef Dozie, thank you for generously providing today's food and refreshments. A special shout-out to the MOKI team. Shout-out to Leslie Guzman, who's helping us a ton with today's event. And a huge appreciation to our 2FM team for the stage setup, microphones and visuals, and for dealing with all our last-minute requests. It is only fitting that we are holding this reception here at Harold Washington Library.

3:03 It was under leadership of Mayor Harold Washington that Chicago drew a bold line in the sand. On March 7, 1985, he signed an executive order that prohibited city employees from inquiring about or cooperating in investigations of anyone's citizenship or residency status. Thank you. Yes. That landmark decision helped lay the foundation for what we now proudly call the Welcoming City Ordinance. Now, as you may have seen, this year's theme is You Belong.

3:36 In a time filled with misinformation, fear-mongering, harmful rhetoric, and deceitful enforcement tactics, we wanted to send a clear and powerful message to our communities. You belong. You belong in this city. You belong in this country. You belong in its history, its past, its present, and future. Now, spread across the tables, as I mentioned earlier, you will see the campaign image in different languages. About 29 languages. This is a collaboration with about 30 cities across the country.

4:06 Any prompt that you'll also find there, we encourage everyone to write a message of solidarity. Head over to the beautiful Monarch installation and take a picture, and we'll be sharing these throughout the month with the hashtag YouBelongShry. I encourage all of you all to do the same. Now, my parents passed down a lot of lessons, sometimes nicely, sometimes let's say with a little bit of urgency. But one that really sticks with me this morning is the idea that even in trying times, we must make space to come together,

4:39 to find moments of joy, to share laughter, and to connect with one another. Because that's how we stay grounded, that's how we stay human, and that's how we build community. So today, we encourage you to make new connections, to reconnect with old friends. And thank you again for being here this morning, for your continued support, your fight, and your friendship. Now, it's my pleasure to introduce the first-ever Deputy Mayor for Immigrant and Migrant and Refugee Rights, who has led our team during unprecedented challenges with grace and conviction.

5:11 Please welcome Deputy Mayor Beatriz Ponce de Leon. Wow, what a beautiful, beautiful room. It really fills my heart, and I think this is just what we needed today. So, good morning, muy buenos días y bienvenidos. Thank you, thank you, thank you, first and foremost, just for being here today, for showing up, not only today, but showing up every day.

5:44 We know that everyone who is in this room shows up with solidarity, with love, with compassion for our immigrant and refugee communities, in many ways, small and big. Your presence matters, your voice matters, your actions matter, in private ways and in public ways. And I just can't express enough how appreciative our team is and our city is for people who are standing in support and in solidarity with immigrants and refugees, especially in this moment.

6:17 If you were born somewhere else and you have made Chicago your home, like my parents did, coming from Michoacan, I like to say I was made in Mexico, born in Chicago. My mom was pregnant when she came, and I became that anchor baby that helped our family really set roots in this city. And I have seen that the love and the growth that we have contributed just as a family here is beyond words beyond words, and what this city and this country has given us is also beyond words.

6:50 And it is a privilege and an opportunity that anyone should have. So I want to say if you are here, you're new, you're from somewhere else, you belong in this city, you belong in this country, you have the right to live with dignity, with safety, and with opportunity. And we are here to stand up for that. Today is a little bit of a somber day. Yesterday, the federal government announced a travel ban against 19 countries, many of them Muslim countries.

7:27 Yesterday, Chicago witnessed an unjust, reckless, dangerous behavior by federal immigration law enforcement in our own town, in the South Loop. And Chicagoans were caught off guard. Immigrants were caught off guard. They were separated from their families and communities without warning. And it is heartbreaking to see the images or to have been there for those who were on the ground and witnessing those separations. But as always, the people of Chicago showed up.

7:59 People showed up to bear witness, to speak truth, and to call out the injustice. And because that's what Chicagoans do. So as our mayor said yesterday in a statement that we released in the evening, the city will review that incident, and we will make sure that we continue to uphold the Welcoming City Ordinance and the Illinois Trust Act. And he'll talk more about that in his remarks. But I want to give a heartfelt thank you to some special people who were there yesterday, starting with the organizers, advocates, and community members that risked their own personal safety to be there,

8:36 to stand in solidarity, to show that Chicago will stand up for our immigrant communities. And then we had elected officials from the Latino Caucus of City Council, our first Colombian-American county commissioner, Jessica Vasquez, and others who were there as well to make sure that Chicago was aware of what was happening and that the world is aware that we know and that we will not let injustice go on. And it wasn't just yesterday. Chicagoans have long stood up for immigrants' rights, for workers' rights, for civil rights, and for human rights.

9:10 That is what Chicago is about, and under this administration, we are doubling down on those efforts. We've been a city always at the forefront of social change, and this moment is really no different. I just want to say that each of us has a role to play, and we're already playing it, right? Some of us will lead from the front, others of us will work quietly behind the scenes. All of it matters. It really all makes a difference, and it makes a difference because we are leading with love. While you might not always see the Imer team out on the street on the front lines,

9:44 I want you to know that our Office of Immigrant, Migrant, and Refugee Rights works every day to ensure that our city sees, celebrates, serves, and protects immigrants, migrants, and refugees. We advocate in small and big ways, and we're working to build an infrastructure, resources, partnerships, and policies that really foster true belonging across Chicago. So I want to take a moment just to acknowledge our colleagues in the mayor's office, the advisory groups that work with us, our community organizations that partner with us,

10:17 city council members and committees that work with us to do this work and to push our office to do more and to be better. We appreciate the guidance, the partnership, and we look forward to working even more closely over the coming months. So once again, thank you to everyone that made this beautiful celebration possible. While it's sometimes hard to celebrate in the midst of injustice and fear, It is also powerful and beautiful to be in community with each other

10:48 and to have our hearts replenished by the camaraderie, the compassion, and the love that we share. And then just one final thank you to the incredible IMR team, Marisa, Neka, Jesus, Elizabeth. Thank you very much for all that you do and for the heart that you bring and put to this work. And with that, I say let's enjoy the rest of the program. Thank you for your partnership, and let's stay in touch. Thank you so much.

11:23 Thank you, Deputy Mayor, for your leadership. Also, I want to acknowledge Chairman Andrey Vasquez being here. Alderman Ruth Cruz, thanks for your leadership and partnership with our team. Now, our first performance of the morning, we have the pleasure of welcoming Daniel Flores, also known as Trumpet Papi, who will give us a rendition of the song Todos Vuelven. Daniel. Good morning, everybody.

11:53 My name is Daniel Flores. I'm a proud Peruvian, proud immigrant, and most importantly, a proud Chicagoan. I wasn't born in Chicago, but I got here as soon as I could. This song is literally a love letter for all immigrants, for all children that have been born in the diaspora. I've seen grown men cry to this song, so hopefully I'm not going to be adding to that list today. So, muy humildemente, aquí le va, todos vuelven.

12:42 of his soul. Everyone back to the corner where they lived, where is it ever flowered more than a love?

13:18 The air that he has in his hands, the flower of the past, the aroma of the yesterday. Nos dice muy quedo al oído su canto aprendido del atardecer Nos dice muy quedo al oído que triste es la ausencia que deja el ayer

14:22 El aire que trae en sus manos, la flor del pasado, su aroma de ayer. Nos dice muy quedo al oído, su canto aprendido del atardecer.

14:56 Qué santo el amor de la tierra, qué triste es la ausencia, Que deja el ayer Que santo el amor de la tierra Que triste es la ausencia

15:34 Gracias. Thank you, Daniel, for sharing your talents with us this morning. Before we welcome the Chicago Public Library Commissioner, we want to sincerely thank the CPL team and staff for their partnership over the past six months.

16:04 As we know, our libraries are trusted community anchors, and we're grateful that CPL opened their doors to provide safe spaces for our team and our partners to learn about their constitutional rights. Now, help me in welcoming the commissioner of the greatest fricking public library system in the world, Commissioner Chris Brown. I like that new tagline. Thank you. Thank you.

16:37 Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Chris Brown, Chicago Public Library Commissioner, and we're so thankful to Deputy Mayor Beatrice Ponce de Leon and the mayor for really recognizing the role that our library plays. We are spaces for inclusion. We serve all of Chicago, all of Chicago, our immigrants, our diverse city. Each year we welcome over 5 million visits. We collect material in over 20 foreign languages.

17:10 And we offer so many programs to support our immigrant community. We offer, as was mentioned, know-your-rights workshops. We build diverse special collections that reflect our Mexican heritage community, our Polish community, our African-American community. And we want to reflect the incredible talent and color of this city, and we're so privileged to get to do that each day.

17:40 Earlier this morning, I was at the Art Institute. We have a partnership with them getting to see their Frida Kahlo exhibit, and I'm just remarking on her own journey, visiting and traveling all across the globe, herself an immigrant. And the way that her work was strengthened and developed as she visited different places, it didn't detract from her work, it strengthened the artist that she became. And that's what I feel immigrants do for our great city.

18:14 I also want to thank the mayor and really all of our alderpersons who push for a more diverse collection. We're having conversations about what's the future of our demographics in this city and how do we reflect that diversity in what we collect and in the histories that we share with all of you. I also want to just thank our incredible library team, many of them who have worked on this day's event and have built these diverse collections. Can we please give them a round of applause?

18:52 So, again, thank you for all being here. Thank you for adding to this space and helping us fulfill our mission and looking forward to supporting all of our diverse Chicago. Thank you. Thank you again, Commissioner Brown. Also want to acknowledge our city treasurer, Melissa Conyers-Irvin. Thanks for being here.

19:22 As you all know, Chicago is full of powerful stories of belonging, stories that reflect the diversity and strength of our communities. Today, we're really excited to have Grace Chan McKibben, Executive Director of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community, and co-chair of the Mayor's AAPI Engagement Council. She'll be sharing her story with us today.

20:09 Hello. Thank you so much for having me. So, some of you know that I came to the U.S. in 1986 as a 16-year-old international student from Hong Kong, which at that time was still a British colony. As a bushy-eyed teenager, I arrived full of curiosity, dreams, and uncertainty. But I was also entering a country with complicated and often painful history with immigrants who looked like me. The Chinese Exclusion Act, passed in 1882, was the first major federal law to ban immigrants based on race or nationality.

20:47 It remained in effect for over 60 years, sending a clear message that Chinese people were seen as perpetual outsiders. But in 1898, a young man named Wang Kim Ark, born in San Francisco to Chinese parents, challenged this view and won. The Supreme Court ruled in his favor, affirming that the 14th Amendment guaranteed birthright citizenship to all, to everyone that is born in the U.S., regardless of race and regardless of national origin.

21:26 His courage helped define what it means to be American, even today. In recent months, we've seen a resurgence of fear-based narratives that seek to other immigrants, portraying us as threats rather than neighbors. Chinese people in particular have been singled out, often viewed with suspicion simply because of our national origin. International students from China have been labeled potential spies.

21:56 scholars have been labeled unfaithful or disloyal to this country. Community members face rising harassment and scrutiny, and in several states, including Texas and Florida, new alien land laws have been introduced or passed that restrict property ownership by people from China and other countries on the basis of their country of origin alone. These laws echo the racist property bans of the early 20th century

22:27 and deepen the message that some of us will never fully belong. Friends, we've been here before, and we know how these stories end. When fear wins, communities fracture. But when we stand together, we rise. The United States is made of immigrants and refugees, indigenous peoples, and descendants of the formerly enslaved.

23:05 This is a nation born from pain and struggle, but also from resilience, resistance, and reinvention. Yes, our history is complicated, but our future can be hopeful if we build it together. Let us work to create a vibrant, interconnected community where every person, no matter where they came from and no matter when they came and no matter what their status is, belong in this country.

23:41 Thank you very much. Thank you, Grace, for sharing your story with us today and reminding us of the power in this room. Just as Mayor Washington did then, Mayor Brandon Johnson is standing firm and committed to defending the values that define Chicago. Please help me in welcoming to the stage our mayor, Mayor Brandon Johnson.

24:26 Wow, thank you so much, and good morning, everyone. I'm grateful to be here despite the circumstances in which we are living through. Let me take a moment, though, to appreciate and thank all of the incredible leaders that continue to define what I call the soul of Chicago. Thank you to our Deputy Mayor, Ponce de Leon, and the entire IMR team for their leadership.

25:04 The IMR team is a huge part of why we are as strong as we are. They're the reason why Chicago continues to lead as a welcoming city. I'm grateful that we are joined by our City Treasurer, Melissa Conyers-Irvin. Thank you for being here. and to all of the alders and other elected officials that are joining us today. I'm proud to join you to take a moment to appreciate and honor National Immigrant Heritage Month

25:44 and to celebrate the immigrant communities that make up our beloved city. This is a time to pause and reflect, reflect on the stories as Grace has articulated the cultures and the contributions that immigrants of the past and present make to our city. Chicago is a city shaped by immigrants. From Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable to the Irish and German workers who fueled our earliest industries

26:20 to the Latin American and Asian and African and other groups from around the globe who continue to arrive in our city today and make Chicago their home. Chicago's immigrant communities build our neighborhoods. They fuel our economy with small businesses. They strengthen our city by working in our schools, hospitals, and local government. They enrich our lives by providing their innovation and their entrepreneur spirit and their artistic prowess and leaders of every single field.

26:56 And they do all of this while navigating new languages, laws, and customs, all because they came to Chicago for opportunities to build a life for posterity. And during this month, we recognize that diversity is our city's greatest strength. Chicago honors National Immigrant Heritage Month by joining a nationwide campaign called You Belong. Thirty other cities like Boston, San Francisco, and Atlanta are joining in this pledge,

27:29 affirming immigrants to ensure that they always will be a part of the fabric of this great nation. I was proud to speak to the importance of immigrants and Chicago's welcoming values when I testified before Congress along with other mayors. And I would continue to proudly and unapologetically say to anyone who ever asks that immigrants are welcome in Chicago. My administration follows in the footsteps of Mayor Harold Washington, who believed in unity and justice so strongly that he paved a way for us to stand firm as a welcoming city.

28:19 We uphold this status not just with words, but more importantly with actions to ensure that immigrants can build a life here and to be safe and to have dignity and to have fairness. We remain vigilant and deeply aware of the insidious attacks of immigration laws and enforcement agencies they're using to target our immigrant neighbors, and we are committed to standing against them. Our city owes a deep amount of gratitude to ICER and UAO and TCA and NIJC, the Resurrection Project, OCAD

28:55 and the many other advocates who are standing up for immigrants, defending due process and fighting to protect the evolution of our democracy We stand with you and we continue to make sure that our city works for immigrants and refugees. When migrants and refugees were sent by buses and planes to Chicago, we welcomed them with dignity and support, and we will continue to do so. Of course, we cannot do this work alone. Countless intergovernmental partners, community organizations, faith groups, and humanitarian groups have all worked together

29:28 to ensure that the city met this moment. And I want to take an opportunity to thank those who worked with the city to welcome. and serve and eventually resettle migrants and refugees in our city. And today, I am proud to present an official congratulatory letter to the Zakat Foundation, who has demonstrated extraordinary work to build shelters, to feed, and to resettle our newest neighbors at a time in which was needed the most.

29:59 The Zakat Foundation met this moment with courage and conviction, choosing unity over fear and humanity over cruelty. They established a family shelter at the St. Bartholomew Catholic Church, which stands as a powerful reminder of what is possible when we meet compassion with the moment. And their compassion was unmatched because their compassion was action.

30:30 And I feel like Reverend Jesse Jackson right now. But the St. Bart's Shelter became a reality thanks to the partnerships between Cook County, the Archdiocese of Chicago, and the Zakat Foundation. It is a testament to what we can do when public, private, and non-profit sectors come together with a common purpose to the Zakat Foundation. Thank you for being the living embodiment of Chicago's welcoming values.

31:00 Our city is stronger because of your commitment to immigrant communities. And this month and every month, let us continue to stand with our immigrant neighbors and build on the solidarity across our communities. Let's break the dividing lines that have plagued this city for generations. Whether you are northwest or southwest or anywhere else in between, you belong in this city. And thanks to everyone who have made this incredible celebration possible from the food and the amazing performances.

31:35 And so without further ado, I would like to, before I conclude my remarks, I would like to call the leadership of the Zakat Foundation to the stage as we provide them with their flowers for all of the work that they have done on behalf of the immigrant communities.

32:41 As I close, when you do unto the least of these, you have done unto me. These are not just simply political actions. This is a stand for righteousness. Let me just say a word about what happened yesterday in South Loop. We saw armed, masked men walk down our streets in broad daylight, and they kidnapped mothers and fathers.

33:13 We saw them brutalize protesters and shove crying grandmothers into the back of unmarked vans. These are difficult days, but this is not a time for us to cower in silence. This is not who we are as a city or as a people. When our children and grandchildren look back at this time, they're going to wonder, what did we do?

33:45 What did we do when parents were being ripped away from their children? What did you do when students were being disappeared and poor and working people were being terrorized? We need to be able to tell them that we stood up. that we stood firm, that the city of Chicago didn't flinch, we didn't bend, we didn't break, we stood on our values and we fought back because we saw the federal government try to intimidate us

34:27 yesterday. But we also saw the grassroots resistance. We saw residents and elected officials put their bodies on the line and defend the most vulnerable amongst us. That is the resistance that we need in this moment. We need people to rise up and say in a unified voice that enough is enough and we will defend the honor of our democracy and we will never surrender our humanity under tyranny.

35:04 This moment makes us stronger. Let's continue to stand united as a united front, the only way in which Chicago can, to demonstrate for the rest of the world that when we fight together and we unite across race and gender and nationality and religion, we can win a fight that sets up posterity to have a liberating experience the way our ancestors dreamed of, black, brown, white, Asian, young, old, rich, poor.

35:35 You belong in the greatest, freaking, most united city in the world, the city of Chicago. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We are Chicago. We are Chicago, a city built with working people and immigrants around the world. Never surrender, Chicago. Fight back.

36:15 Thank you very much. I believe at this time, this is an opportunity for a couple of questions from our press. All right. Is this on the end? We'll just take two quick questions. Here's Al. Hi, Mayor. Thanks for taking my question. Have you spoken with Superintendent Snelling about the ICE activity yesterday, and do you have full confidence in how Chicago police handled the situation? I have spoken with our superintendent, and I spoke with many of the alders who were present there. Members of my administration, they were present as well, making sure that we had an accurate account of what happened.

36:47 There are obviously some concerns that I believe all of us have about how the federal government showed up in our city. I will continue to have more conversations with elected officials. In fact, today, the superintendent and I, along with his entire leadership team, with my leadership team, will have a complete review of the occurrences of yesterday and to make sure that we are doing everything in our power

37:19 to protect the residents of this city, but that we are holding on to our values as a welcoming city. Thank you. The reason I ask is because some elected officials and advocacy groups there are concerned that CPD officers were assisting ICE because they were seen talking with them inside the office. Do you think that's fair, and is it appropriate for the City Council Immigration Committee to probe not just ICE, but CPE's actions? Look, I think it's important that we assess the entire situation, and here's why.

37:49 If we think for any minute that the tyranny that is coming from the federal government is going to stop and slow down, we would be dishonoring the work that many people have done to strengthen our city. And so assessing what happened to ensure that when the actions of the federal government come up against our values, that the full force of government is showing up in an emphatic way, but in a way that upholds our welcoming city ordinance.

38:27 Mayor, do you have a relationship with ICE? Are you able to ask them and speak to them, or your staff, that is, about what happened? And do you believe they used deceptive practices yesterday? It was deceptive. You have the President of the United States of America setting human traps. It is sickening and unconscionable. As far as the relationship between local law enforcement and federal agents, we have an ongoing relationship because we work with the federal government on a multiple of issues.

39:04 In this instance, however, it is a clear reflection of the President of the United States of America that is looking to intimidate people. But we're going to stand for righteousness in this city. That is the value in which we are birthed out of. So we'll continue to coordinate and work when appropriate and necessary with federal agents, whether it's getting guns off the streets or ensuring that we don't have drugs trafficking through our communities. But in this instance, it was clearly a tactic that manipulated mothers and fathers and grandparents, and it's a sad moment, but it is also an opportunity for us to unite in this city.

39:55 And clearly there is a demonstration of groups from all over the planet who are in Chicago who are prepared to defend our city. May I ask for a colleague? You were at an event earlier before you came here at Midway. Could you respond? Was that what you were there for? Was that accelerated because of the close call there at Midway in February? Well, making sure that we have vibrant airports has always been a part of my top priority.

40:27 In order to build the safest, most affordable big city in America, our financial hub, or our economic hub, rather, which exists within our airports, plays a major part in growing our economy, not just here but for the entire region. The expediency in which we're moving really speaks to my desire to ensure that we build the safest, most affordable big city in America. And the way you do that is you create economic opportunities where we can move product faster and we can keep people working.

40:59 Thank you all very much. Thank you again, Mayor Johnson. And again, congratulations to the Sakat Foundation, Sakat team. Thank you for your collaboration and partnership with our city. Now, for our final performance, as you know, we have a lot of talented youth in our city, and we have the pleasure of welcoming the Benito Juarez Community Academy Mariachi Band.

41:30 Please give them a hand.

45:40 Jonas, Jonas Rivera, de la coca vibrador, soy hermano de la estumba, de las garcias y las rosas y de su...

48:24 Thank you again, Benito Juarez, Community Academy, Mariachi Band, for your performance today. And also I want to give a shout out to Michael, their teacher, for continuing to pass down this music to their students and making sure that folks and kids are continuing to preserve their cultures. And that's it, folks. That's the end of our program today. Please take some time, again, to look at the postcards spread across, take some home.

48:56 In the back of the postcards, we have a number of resources, namely the new website in collaboration with IDHS, NIJC, ICER, TRP as well, where we put together a new resource hub where folks can find information on all your rights and how to support families in case of detention. And lastly, we have also the prompts on the table. Feel free to write some messages of solidarity, take a picture next to the Monarch installation,

49:29 and the food is now open. So thank you again for coming, and we'll see you next year. Thank you.

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