We are a nation of immigrants. Franz and Ingeburg, my parents, came over in the 1950s. In fact, on the block I grew up on, if your parents were not immigrants, your grandparents were. That is a fairly typical Chicago story. Greektown, Little Italy, Chinatown, Bronzeville, Ukrainian Village, Pilsen. Our cultural wealth should be embraced and celebrated.

Whatever immigration policy we settle on must be economically sustainable, meaning we operate within a defined budget and maintain secure borders so we know who is coming into our country. We also have to reckon with the millions of people who followed the traditional, legal path and have been patiently waiting while millions of undocumented individuals have entered and drawn resources intended for other purposes.

Mayor Johnson and Chicago Democrats have told the South Side and West Side for decades that they wished they had more money for community reinvestment in those neighborhoods. Yet they somehow found over $700,000,000 for 50,000 non-citizens, turning their backs on our own citizens. That is unconscionable.

We should be able to fund immigration without raising taxes, admitting as many people as we responsibly can in an economically sustainable way so that we can continue to do so well into the future. We can be compassionate, smart, and economically disciplined as we build a sustainable future for current Americans and new ones alike.