Dupage Policy Journal

Mayor Brandon Johnson recently retweeted a July 3 article from ABC7 Chicago announcing his groundbreaking appointment of Beatriz Ponce de Leon as the city's deputy mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights. Ponce de Leon will be the first ever to serve in that newly created position.

"Our new neighbors need protection and the full force of government behind them, and our new Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights Beatriz Ponce de Leon shares that vision," Johnson said in his July 9 tweet. "Together we will make sure Chicago remains a beacon of hope for all."

A July 3 press release from the mayor's office initially announced that Ponce de Leon would serve as Chicago's first-ever deputy mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights. The new deputy mayor comes from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), where she served as assistant director of the Division of Family and Community Services, chief of staff of the Division of Mental Health, and Healing Illinois project manager.

More than 10,000 migrants have arrived in Chicago in the last nine months, with more than 4,000 currently residing in city shelters, a May report from NBC 5 Chicago said.

Published in July, Johnson's transition report, titled A Blueprint for Creating a More Just and Vibrant City for All, states that one near-term goal for immigration is to fully resource and staff the Office of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights (formerly known as the Office of New Americans). Ponce de Leon's appointment is part of this initiative. The two overarching goals set forth by the transition plan are to "strengthen and invest in infrastructure for immigrant support & services to make Chicago a true sanctuary city," and to "expand multilingual education and services and integrate sanctuary policies into Chicago Public School's policies & practices."

"As the daughter of immigrants and a lifelong Chicagoan, it is a distinct honor to serve in this first-ever role," Ponce de Leon said in the press release. "I thank Mayor Johnson for having the vision and valor to create this position so we can better serve our immigrant, migrant and refugee communities so that they can contribute to the life and vitality [of] our city by raising their families and being a productive member of their communities."