When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott decided to use the human suffering and displacement of immigrant families as a cheap electoral punching bag, Chicagoans backed our words with action. People distributed food, lawyers showed up to enforce legal rights and shelters opened their doors to tired babies in need of warm beds.
Our tradition as a welcoming city spans decades, from Black people fleeing Southern racist terrorism after Reconstruction to Eastern Europeans escaping rabid anti-semitism, from Irish workers fleeing famine to Central Americans breaking free from economic displacement and gang violence.
