Contributed photo
Contributed photo
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk's (R-IL) annual Abuelitas program came to a close on Monday, with Kirk singing its praises.
The program helped several Illinois Mexican residents reunite with over 160 relatives during September and early October. The 10-year-old program has helped Illinois Mexican residents reunite with approximately 2,700 relatives.
“This fall, we celebrated the rich culture of Mexico and all of the families that have been reunited through Abuelitas,” Kirk said. “I will continue to work with social clubs across Illinois to further develop programs with the Mexican-American community so that we can bring more families together."
The program kicked off with “La Copa Del Senado,” a soccer tournament, held on Aug. 22 for several Mexican social clubs throughout the state.
The program originally helped Mexican grandmothers and grandfathers obtain short-term travel visas to visit their relatives in the U.S.. Kirk later expanded the program to help other family members, such as brothers and sisters, visit relatives in Illinois.
Illinois is home to over 1.5 million citizens of Mexican descent.
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