By: Ashmar Mandou

It was a humbling moment for House Assistant Majority Leader Representative Edward “Eddie” Acevedo Sunday afternoon as he was honored for his work in passing the highway safety legislation, SB 957 in front of crowd of supporters at St. Pius Church.

“This is a great moment for us as a Latino community and another step closer to immigration reform,” said Acevedo. Alongside community leaders, such as Alderman Daniel Solis, State Representative Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez, and State Senator Antonio “Tony” Muñoz, who were also honored for their work, Rep. Acevedo thanked his fellow colleagues for their tireless approach in helping to pass SB 957 and encouraged undocumented residents, who qualify, to regard this opportunity as a ‘privilege’ and to take to the road carefully.

Rep. Hernandez also echoed the same sentiment as she took to the microphone to give a heartfelt congratulatory speech to Rep. Acevedo and to the members of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) for their work as well. “We work hard to push bills, like SB 957, so that undocumented families are given the same opportunities as the rest of us,” said Hernandez. “I would also like to thank Representative Acevedo once again for his hard work.” Last week Tuesday, the House passed SB 957 with a 65-46 vote that allows qualifying undocumented immigrants an opportunity to apply to the Temporary Visitor Driver’s License (TVDL).