On Monday, Gov. Bruce Rauner announced that Illinois is joining other states across the country and will temporarily stop accepting Syrian refugees in response to last week's terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut. But there are (at least) a couple of problems with that mandate: He does not have the authority to enforce such a declaration, and it's incredibly xenophobic. At least one Chicago alderman has publicly taken issue with the governor's announcement: Carlos Rosa of the 35th ward. The 26-year-old politician wrote a letter to President Obama explaining that Chicago will not close its doors to Syrian refugees, and that his Northwest Side ward has welcomed immigrants from across the globe for more than a century.
He tweeted an image of the letter on Monday night.
Please share letter Ald @CDRosa sent @POTUS regarding @GovRauner not allowing Syrian refugees in IL #twill pic.twitter.com/toxr9irCgF
— 35th Ward Ald. Rosa (@35th_Ward) November 17, 2015
Rosa is no stranger to standing up to Illinois' political machine. In October, he was one of 14 aldermen to vote against Mayor Rahm Emanuel's 2016 budget proposal, which included the biggest property tax hike in the city's history. His letter to the president might not have much effect, but it's nice to see local politicians call out Rauner's hollow and racist promises.