Biden, Illinois and Chicago officials launching a 1-stop work permit program for migrants

CHICAGO — President Joe Biden’s administration, in a joint effort with state and Chicago officials and The Resurrection Project, will launch a pilot program Thursday aimed at expediting work permits to some of the city’s burgeoning migrant population.

The program consists of a one-stop work authorization clinic aimed at serving approximately 150 migrants per day. It will be open to eligible noncitizens. The White House said the program with The Resurrection Project, a housing and immigrant assistance agency, will be scaled up in the coming days.

Previous clinics in other cities have more than doubled the number of work authorization applications compared with previous weekly averages, the administration said.

Chicago and New York have been forced to deal with an influx of asylum-seekers from the southern border, many bused by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to Democratic cities.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson traveled to Washington, D.C., last week with other mayors, seeking congressional authorization of $5 billion in assistance, a sizable ask compared with the $1.4 billion that Biden is seeking from Congress.

“The Biden-Harris administration is committed to supporting local jurisdictions hosting recently arrived migrants,” a White House spokesperson said.

In September, the administration announced it was granting temporary legal status for an estimated 472,000 Venezuelans who had arrived in the country as of July 31. Temporary legal status allows the granting of eligibility for work permits in renewable increments of up to 18 months. Many of Chicago’s recent migrant population traveled from Venezuela.

Though a work permit fee can cost several hundred dollars, those fees are likely to be waived.

Thursday’s launch of the pilot program will come on a day when Biden is scheduled to visit the Chicago area and the town of Belvidere, where he’s expected to deliver remarks and meet with United Auto Workers members, UAW President Shawn Fain and Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The event in Belvidere is a political victory lap for Biden in celebrating a UAW agreement amid a commitment by Stellantis that it will reopen the Belvidere auto assembly plant for electric vehicle manufacturing as well as build a related EV battery manufacturing plant, which is expected to create thousands of jobs. Biden previously joined striking UAW workers and is seeking the union’s endorsement.

The White House said the migrant aid had been previously in the works and was unrelated to the president’s visit.

The federal move comes as the Illinois Department of Human Services reached out to employees of multiple state agencies seeking Spanish-speaking volunteers to help with workshops to assist asylum-seekers with filling out applications for temporary protected status and work authorization.

“Volunteers will receive training in advance (on the same day that you volunteer for) and will not be responsible for the final application submission, as it will be reviewed by an immigration attorney prior to completion,” an email sent last week read. “Volunteers will be responsible for their own transportation (site TBD in Chicago) and will be paid at their regular rate for their regularly scheduled hours of work. Volunteer acceptance is contingent upon your supervisors’ approval.”

A spokeswoman for the department declined to provide specifics about when the events would be held, saying only that they’ll be in Chicago in November and December.

“Migrants in shelters will be notified and provided transportation to the locations,” agency spokeswoman Rachel Otwell said in an email. “Locations for application events are still being finalized.”

There are roughly 11,000 asylum-seekers in Chicago shelters who may qualify for either of the programs, Otwell said.

_________