AURORA — While President Trump continues to demonize immigrant families to advance a political agenda, Senator Omar Aquino (D-Chicago) joined Gov. Pritzker in taking a proactive approach to welcome immigrant families to Illinois, ensuring they are supported and know their rights.

Illinois is home to 1.8 million immigrants, and one in six Illinois workers is an immigrant. There are 120,000 immigrant business owners in the state, and immigrants who are employers generate more than $2.5 billion in business income. They also pay billions in federal, state and local taxes. Importantly, immigrants are our neighbors, our friends and our family.

“Immigrants who come to America want to better their lives, contribute to their communities and live in a place where they feel safe. Welcoming Centers play a key role in guiding new immigrants and those seeking asylum as they settle into our great state,” said Aquino. “After years of dealing with a governor who continuously devalued the importance of these services, I look forward to working with a governor who places priority on our most vulnerable populations.”

Alongside legislators and immigrant rights advocates at Family Focus Aurora, Gov. Pritzker signed an executive order that expands access to welcoming centers and informs immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers of the state programs that promote their human and civil rights as well as social and economic opportunity. Executive Order 2019-07 seeks to bring dignity, respect and stability into communities that have been attacked for too long.

“This executive order will help protect immigrants and refugees and allow all our diverse immigrant communities to thrive. Let there be no doubt that Illinois is a welcoming state,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “With our president doing everything he can to attack immigrants and refugees in Illinois, I want to make it clear from the beginning of my administration that we’re going to stand up for all of our children and families. Illinois should be a state where all have access to opportunity and the ability to thrive, and my administration is taking steps to advance that goal.”