CHAMPAIGN — Today, Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) convened her third roundtable discussion with local leaders and immigration nonprofit and advocacy organizations. The conversation focused on immigration enforcement activity across Central and Southern Illinois and how elected officials, community organizations, and local leaders can work together to better support affected residents.
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“Today was an important opportunity to come together as a community and learn how we can protect our immigrant neighbors. We heard powerful stories from people directly impacted, from organizations doing this work every day, and from local leaders ready to take action,” said Budzinski. “We also discussed the harsh realities inside detention centers across the country and the reforms I’m pushing for – mandatory in-person medical evaluations, stronger sanitation standards, unannounced inspections, and more – to ensure people are treated with dignity.”
The conversation included representatives from the following organizations: Ashrei Foundation, Community Legal Access Workshops, Congolese Community of Champaign County, Hoyleton Youth & Family Services, Immigrant Services CU, Immigration Action Committee for League of Women Voters, Immigration Legal Clinic from Western Illinois Dreamers, Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan Family Services, Migrant & Immigrant Community Action Project (MICA), New American Welcome Center at the University YMCA, The Immigration Project, and The Refugee Center.
Budzinski has continued to advocate for common-sense reforms to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) operations. Most recently, she became a cosponsor of the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in ICE and CBP Custody Act, legislation aimed at strengthening oversight and improving conditions for individuals held in federal immigration custody.
