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Why is immigration an important issue to our communities?
Latinos Progresando recognizes immigration as a cornerstone of a healthy community whose members can engage in positive activities on both a personal and a social level.  The lack of educational and professional opportunities for immigrants—compounded by staggering waiting times for family visas—contribute to related problems in Chicago’s Latino communities. Poor education, gang involvement, and early pregnancy are often linked to immigration issues: frequently heads of household cannot find living-wage employment because they are undocumented or children cannot take advantage of many opportunities available to their peers because of their immigration status.

About the Issues
To read more about the issues, and the importance of immigration policy, click About the Issues on the left-hand side.

Immigration News
Immigrations News contains selected articles from the news that contain important information about or changes to immigration policy. Each article is listed under the appropriate month and year. Click on the title of the article to read it. Note that the news articles will take you to an external site.

Advocacy Alerts
It can be difficult to keep track of important legislation concerning immigration or surronding policies. The Advocacy Alerts section will help keep you informed.

Outcomes of Our Programs
The outcomes of our program show our innovative and comprehensive approach to the issues that surrond the immigrant community.

In the Legal Services program, we serve over 1,150 individuals annually in the family reunification service alone, helping them to reunite their families through legal immigration services. We also help a particularly isolated and vulnerable population – immigrant victims of domestic violence -- acquire legal status and provide all services to these individuals free of charge. In our CBYG, we have encouraged immigrant students to think about a breadth of post-secondary educational options and to consider higher education within their reach regardless of their education status. In Teatro Americano, we have empowered individuals through grassroots, inter-cultural, and inter-generational community theater to share the story of the immigrant experience in an accessible and creative manner.