Dear friend,

I hope you are staying cool and enjoying the summer. From immigration reform to gun control and affordable housing, June was a busy month in Congress and across IL-04. 

In June, President Biden responded to our joint efforts and announced an Executive action that will provide protections for undocumented spouses of U.S citizens and allow qualified college-educated Dreamers to obtain work visas. One child out of every ten in Illinois has an undocumented parent, so this announcement offers hope and stability for thousands of mixed-status families and DACA recipients, including those in our district. This is a step in the right direction but we cannot stop here. We must continue to push for work permits for our long-term immigrants who have waited for relief for decades.  

I also hosted a briefing and a press conference with a pioneering coalition of U.S. and Mexican human rights organizations, gun safety groups, and parents of gun violence victims from both sides of the border. Together, we called for stronger gun safety protections and legislation to address the gun trafficking—both within the U.S. and from the U.S. to Mexico, where legal gun ownership is tightly restricted. According to reports in USA Today, 78,000 firearms recovered in Mexico were tied to U.S. gun shops and smugglers. 

I also co-led the introduction of the Preventing Algorithmic Facilitation of Rental Housing Cartels Act, which would prohibit algorithmic price fixing by landlords. I started advocating against this predatory practice two years ago, when reporting revealed how companies are using software to coordinate increasing prices—resulting in less competition and higher rent for consumers across the country. I’ll continue to advocate for solutions to address the housing crisis and lower the cost of living for residents of IL-04.

At the bottom of this email you will find information on upcoming events my office is hosting. 

We had a packed house with constituents ready to take the initial step to become citizens for our first workshop in Leyden Township! Many thanks to our host, partners, and volunteers. If you’re interested, please call or visit our office and stay tuned for our next workshop.

Our communities are stronger when all levels of government work together. I was the guest speaker at the Elmhurst City Council meeting on June 17, and gave a federal update on issues from health care equity to infrastructure investments and more.

I celebrated the President’s Executive action on immigration at an event with advocates and community leaders in Chicago who have worked tirelessly to push President Biden to extend work permits to undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens and DACA recipients. But our work is far from done—we will continue to fight for work permits for immigrants who have waited for relief for decades.

Calling all middle and high school students! Code for Congress and create an app for any platform using any coding language for a chance to have your work displayed in the U.S. Capitol Building! 

Last year’s Congressional App Challenge Winner, Carlos Alcala from Archer Heights impressed my team and I with his app, Menti, which helps users destress and manage their well-being. 

Eligible students can register for the competition here.