On March 10, immigrant youth and their supporters will rally at Daley Plaza, encouraging the undocumented to “come out” and speak publicly about their status.

The rally is part of a national campaign to encourage immigrant youth to lose fear and organize with their communities.

A March 1 press conference will formally announce plans for the city-wide National Coming Out of the Shadows rally to take place at Daley Plaza at 3 p.m. Organizers will ask Chicago residents to join the demonstration and support the creation of spaces where undocumented immigrant youth are safe to tell their stories, study, live and contribute to their communities.

The call is also for undocumented youth to “come out,” organize and speak out publicly, despite increasing legislation that seeks to criminalize immigrants out of status.

Last March, the Immigrant Youth Justice League launched the “National Coming Out Day” in Chicago where eight undocumented youth spoke about being undocumented publicly, and declared being undocumented and unafraid. Over the last year, undocumented youth all over the country took up that theme, and participated in escalating actions, including the first civil disobedience actions by undocumented youth to take place in the country.

This year, the march is of particular importance as it is the first public demonstration to take place after Congress refused to pass the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act in December, a bill which would have provided a conditional path to citizenship for undocumented youth.

Undocumented student leaders and allies from the Immigrant Youth Justice League (IYJL), Korean Resource & Cultural Center (KRCC), Nuestra Voz, University of Chicago Coalition for Immigrant Rights (UCCIR) and the Organization of Latin American Students - Harold Washington College will be present at the press ...