Immigration advocates, elected officials and migrant workers rallied in Pilsen on Thursday to demand work permits for undocumented immigrants.
Last month, the Biden administration offered Temporary Protected Status to nearly half a million Venezuelan migrants in the US, granting a long-standing request from cities struggling to house asylum seekers.
The move allows Venezuelans who arrived in the US before the end of July to apply for protection from deportation and work permits.
The Biden administration also said it would expedite the review of work permit applications for migrants entering the US at border ports of entry through a phone app-based system and a programme for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans with American sponsors. The goal, officials said, is to adjudicate these applications within 30 days, down from the current average of 90 days.
Organisers of Thursday’s rally called on the Biden administration to allow all immigrants to work legally, regardless of their current legal status.
They said undocumented immigrants are forced to work under the table, making them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
