Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Urges Trump To Protect DREAM Act Immigrants
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/CBS Chicago) -- Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel visited President-elect Donald Trump in New York Wednesday, and urged him to maintain a federal program that allows some undocumented immigrants to avoid deportation.
As WBBM-TV, CBS2 Chicago Political Reporter Derrick Blakley reported, the face-to-face meeting at Trump Tower followed an invitation delivered in a presidential phone call.
"A couple weeks ago, I had a call with the president-elect; had a good discussion," Emanuel said. "He said whenever you're out east in New York, I want to have a meeting."
Emanuel delivered a letter from 14 mayors, asking the Trump administration to continue the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) system enacted by President Barack Obama, until Congress passes a comprehensive plan to overhaul the immigration system. The federal program allows immigrants brought to the country illegally as children to avoid deportation and get work permits.
After the meeting, Emanuel said he made it clear the Trump administration should embrace young immigrants who voluntarily gave the federal government their personal information so they could stay and work in the United States, CBS Chicago reported.
"All of us fundamentally believe that those are students. Those are also people that want to join the Armed Forces. They gave their name, their address, their phone number where they are. They're trying to achieve the American dream. No fault of their own, their parents came here. They are something we should hold up and embrace," Emanuel said. "We are clear, as mayors, that these are DREAMers who are seeking the American dream, and we should embrace them rather than do a bait and switch."
The letter said subjecting DREAMers to deportation "would disrupt the lives of close to one million young people and it would disrupt the American economy."
"Chicago was a sanctuary city for my grandfather," Emanuel said. "His grandson today is the mayor of this city, which is a testament to the strength and the values and the ideals of being America."
Emanuel said he also discussed transportation and infrastructure investment, and how Chicago can play a key part in creating jobs in both areas as America's transport hub, Blakley reported.
Emanuel described as the meeting a very good one. He said it lasted about an hour, and included controversial Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon and chief of staff Reince Priebus.