Immigration Reform 2014 News: Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Pressures to Approve Law in Favor of Immigrants

Chicago's Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, seeks to change his image of a leader who in 2013 became an obstacle for the approval of immigration reform with a meeting set for Thursday, May 8 with the Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, with the clear intention of applying pressure to approve a law project in favor of undocumented immigrants in the country.

Accompanied by democrat Congressman for Illinois, Luis Gutiérrez, the Mayor said he would seek to make sure that Jeh Johnson is aware of his wishes to approve immigration reform in 2014, whether it be through executive action by President Barack Obama or through legislative means; pressuring for the approval of the law project presented in the House of Representatives where it has been stuck since late 2013.

According to La Opinión, Rahm Emanuel refered to his change of attitude in comparison to the shown in 2010 for which he was harshly criticized, assuring that reform in matters of immigration which involves providing a way to solve the legal situation of over 11 million immigrants living in the country without official documents, is a truly difficult matter.

Chicago's Mayor also mentioned the threats that President Barack Obama launched against Congress in which it warned about radical measures that the Executive power would take if immigration reform is not approved in 2014.

"The threat exists and also this reality: If Congress does not act, the President will... if legislators are overburdened by political matters, the President will have to act," he stated.

On his part, Luis Gutiérrez assured that Emanuel has always been committed to immigrants in the United States, although he hasn't always agreed with the process, saying that during meetings he would define the immigrant community as a "valuable resource".

Currently, immigration reform is stuck in the House of Representatives, which rejected the project approved in June, 2013 by the Senate, a bipartisan initiative which provided a path towards citizenship for 11 million immigrants, and revised relevant aspects such as border security and visas for qualified and specialized workers.