Chicago, IL – 50 immigrant rights activists and community members gathered outside of the Illinois Republican Party offices here, July 21, show solidarity with undocumented youth who were arrested in Washington D.C. the day before. On July 20, many youth, including nine from Chicago, were arrested as they staged a sit-in inside the capitol’s lobby and at several representatives’ offices. The youth were demanding the passage of the Dream Act, which would legalize undocumented students.

Jose Herrera, a member of the Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL) stated, “We are here because yesterday, nine of our IYJL members were arrested for what they believed. We are here to show solidarity with our members. What they did is what all of us should be doing, which is standing for their rights to be legalized and the right to achieve a higher education.”

The Chicago youth, along with other undocumented youth from Virginia, New York, California, Arizona, Kansas, Missouri and Michigan, were part of “The Dream Is Coming to D.C.,” three days of actions in support of immigrant rights.

#ChicagoIL #StudentMovement #DREAMAct #ImmigrantYouthJusticeLeague