CHICAGO — Today, Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that Beatriz Ponce de León will serve as the City of Chicago’s first-ever Deputy Mayor of Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Rights. 

“Beatriz is an excellent addition to our team, and I am looking forward to working with her to provide these vital and culturally vibrant communities the resources they need to thrive in our city,” said Mayor Brandon Johnson. “Together, we will ensure that Chicago embraces immigrants and asylum seekers, remains a safe, welcoming home to all, and that anyone seeking sanctuary in our city can have a prosperous life and future.” 

“From the founding of our city, immigrants have been at the heart of making Chicago the city that works,” said Beatriz Ponce de León. “As the daughter of immigrants and a lifelong Chicagoan, it is a distinct honor to serve in this first-ever role. I thank Mayor Johnson for having the vision and valor to create this position so we can better serve our immigrant, migrant and refugee communities so that they can contribute to the life and vitality our city by raising their families and being a productive member of their communities.”

Ponce de León brings to the role a breadth of expertise on a wide range of issues including immigrant rights and integration, education equity, bilingual education and language diversity, adolescent rights, health care access, voter engagement, and community development. 

Most recently, Ponce de León worked for the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) where she held several roles, including Assistant Director of the Division of Family and Community Services, Chief of Staff for the Division of Mental Health, and Healing Illinois Project Manager.  

At IDHS she was instrumental in developing and launching new projects, building staff capacity and leadership, leading strategic planning and organizational development, and assisting with the State’s asylum seeker support efforts. 

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