When a grandma from Berwyn got caught up in President Donald Trump’s deportation net last year, state Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez was chief among Illinois leaders who successfully fought to keep Genoveva Ramirez in the U.S.
For years, Hernandez has been on the front lines of immigration issues in Illinois, and that’s a big deal in a district that includes Cicero, Berwyn and Little Village and is about 75 percent Latino. She also led a successful years-long effort for domestic workers to be paid a minimum wage and get one day of rest a week.
Hernandez is endorsed over challenger Robert Rafael Reyes, who could produce no ideas on how Illinois could better protect the rights of immigrants. He is no match for Hernandez there. Both candidates need to brush up on other meaty issues, such as the fiscal problems the state is facing.
When the Democrats running in the 24th Illinois House District primary visited the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board on Jan. 4, we asked each to introduce themselves to voters. Watch Rep. Hernandez’s response:
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