Mayor Rahm Emanuel and First Lady Amy Rule hosted six Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) students at their home this evening for dinner. The dinner followed the Mayor’s call for all Chicagoans to open their hearts and homes to the City’s diverse and disenfranchised communities.

"One hundred years ago, the people of Chicago opened their hearts and their homes to my grandfather when he immigrated to this great city, fleeing the pogroms of Eastern Europe in search of freedom and opportunity. In that spirit, this evening I was pleased to host six DREAMers for a meal, a conversation and an overall celebration of all that unites us, rather than what divides us,” said Mayor Emanuel.

Participating students included:

• A senior at Roger C. Sullivan high school. He came from Nigeria in 2014 and is a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) student. He is exploring what comes next after graduation.
• A DACA student and graduate of Roger C. Sullivan high school. He is currently attending Loyola University Arrupe College. He is a Muslim student from India who has made Chicago his home.
• A student studying Computer Science at Aurora University. She is a DACA student who was born in Mexico and raised on Chicago’s south side.
• A strong civic minded senior at Benito Juarez high school. She is a DACA student from Mexico who is working to figure out how recent events will impact her future college plans.
• A DACA student from Mexico. She is a senior at Benito Juarez HS, a Posse winner and hopes to attend Connecticut College after graduation.

A senior at Benito Juarez high school. He is from Mexico and currently has a U.S. Visa. He knows the challenges of being undocumented and recently helped organize “Know Your Rights” training for roughly 500 students from his school. He is a strong leader who serves as the secretary of his student council, a Posse winner and plans on attending St. Olaf College.

For more information on how Chicagoans can get involved, please contact one of the following local organizations:

• National Immigrant Justice Center: 312-660-1370 or immigrantjustice.org
• The Resurrection Project: 312-880-1151 or resurrectionproject.org
• United African Organization: 312-949-9980 or uniteafricans.org
• Indo-American Center: 773-973-4444 ext. 103 or indoamerican.org
• Centro Romero: 773-508-5300 ext. 242 or centroromero.org
• Erie Neighborhood House: 312-432-2252 or eriehouse.org 
• Instituto Del Progreso Latino: 773-890-0055 or institutochicago.org
• Centro de Trabajadores Unidos: 773-706-7150 or centrodetrabajadoresunidos.org
• Southwest Organizing Project: 773-471-8208 ext. 120 or swopchicago.org
• Korean American Resource and Cultural Center: 773-588-9158 or chicagokrcc.org

Photo Caption: Mayor Emanuel, First Lady Amy Rule and Cardinal Cupich talk to Dreamer students about their future plans during a dinner at the Mayor's home Tuesday evening.

Photo Credit: Brooke Collins // City of Chicago

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