Illinois takes lead in humane reform of immigration law

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Updated: November 10, 2011 3:37PM

Illinois continues to take sensible steps to deal with illegal immigration, rejecting the harsher approaches taken by other states, in the absence of a federal solution.

The State of Illinois and the City of Chicago have taken the lead in showing the rest of the country that there is a practical and more humane way than the deport-them-all nonsense. University presidents, lawyers, priests and law enforcement officials have joined pro-immigrant groups in making the point that most undocumented immigrants contribute to our communities and are not a threat.

The latest initiative is the deportation family support hotline, which aims to provide advice to immigrants facing deportation. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights has partnered with 35 social service agencies, the Catholic Church, 17 law firms, the Adler School of Professional Psychology, the Mexican Consulate and 67 trained bilingual volunteers, among others, to launch the country’s first 24-hour hotline for families dealing with deportation.

The hotline, funded by private donations, will offer advice in English, Spanish, Korean and Portuguese 24 hours a day for Illinois residents. The number is (855) 435-7693.

Massive deportations have taken a toll on immigrant communities. The Obama administration has deported more undocumented immigrants that any other administration.

In the last four years, more than 48,000 people have been deported in Illinois, leaving an estimated 80,550 children without one of their parents. The consequences of separating families are devastating — not only for the people involved but also for the communities in which they live.

The support hotline, modeled after those for domestic abuse and homelessness, should be an effective way to provide information and advice to families when somebody has been detained or is under deportation proceedings.

The hotline should prove particularly useful now that the Department of Homeland Security is reviewing 300,000 deportation cases. It could help curb abuse by lawyers and notary publics who prey on immigrants.

In this way, Illinois again has taken the initiative to implement measures much different from the enforcement-only approach of Arizona and other states.

Recently, Illinois approved a local version of the Dream Act that will help qualified undocumented students receive a college education. And now California is considering a similar approach.

Illinois also has opted out of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s controversial Secure Communities program, which was designed to deport undocumented immigrants found guilty of serious crimes. The program tracks down undocumented immigrants with criminal records by running fingerprints through arrest databases.

In Illinois, however, 32 percent of the immigrants subjected to the program’s deportation proceedings had no criminal conviction. Nationally, 28 percent have had no criminal record. Illinois, New York and Massachusetts, troubled by this, have dropped out of the program.

Most recently, the Cook County Board adopted an ordinance, introduced by Commissioner Jesus Garcia, to end compliance with Immigration and Customs Enforcement service detainer requests. Undocumented immigrants arrested for minor violations, such as traffic infractions, were being placed on Immigration hold for up to 48 hours, costing the county up to $15.7 million a year.

Faced with a broken immigration system, Illinois has taken the lead until Congress finally steps up.