CAIR-Chicago Commends Mayor for Refugee Action

Chicago Mayor joined 17 other mayors in urging the president to increase the number of refugees that the U.S. will receive. The action comes shortly after CAIR-Chicago, along with partner organizations, launched the #Chi4Refugees campaign, an initiative calling for local action and for the city and state to accept more refugees who are fleeing their home countries as a result of the Syria crisis. While the #Chi4Refugees campaign cannot take full credit for the Mayor's signing, it has been one of the loudest local pushes in the swell of public outcry across the nation. So far the campaign has received coverage on ABC 7, NBC 5, Fox 32, WGN 9, and Radio Islam. See Coverage and Learn More About the #Chi4Refugees Campaign Here.

On Thursday, September 24, a total of 18 mayors (all members of the Cities United for Immigration Action coalition, including those of Baltimore, Los Angeles, New York, and Boston) signed a letter written to President Obama, demonstrating their willingness to accept a greater number of refugees than the has president’s administration proposed in their cities.  For this act of humanitarian support, the Chicago Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations commends Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Mayor Emanuel and others across the country have seen, first-hand, the economic, social, and cultural impact, including what the mayors have called drive, enterprise, skill, and spirit, that immigrants and refugees have had in their cities as they have already begun to accept Syrian refugees. With this experiential knowledge and their faith in the screening system that the U.S. implements when accepting refugees, these 18 mayors have declared their preparation to accept thousands more and welcome them to make new lives and homes in the U.S.

Although the mayors did not propose a specific number of refugees that they believe would be best for the U.S. to admit, they did write that they believe the country can meet a challenge of accepting greater numbers than 10,000 refugees by the beginning next fiscal year and In the letter, 85,000 throughout that year, and 100,000 by fiscal year 2017.

To Read Full Letter See: 18 U.S. Mayors To Obama: We'll Take Even More Refugees

If you are interested in aiding refugees that have migrated to Chicago, the following is a list of organizations with volunteer opportunities: Refugee OneWorld Relief ChicagoHeartland Alliance and its partner Refugee and Immigrant Services (RICS), and Girl Forward.

You can also check out this list of 80+ volunteer opportunities at voluntermatch.org.