More Than 70 Cities & Counties Sign Texas vs. United States Appeal Urging Immediate Implementation of President Obama’s Immigration Executive Action
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced today that 73 cities and counties had filed a new friend-of-the-court brief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Texas vs. United States lawsuit, urging immediate implementation of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.
“Continuing to delay implementation of the President’s executive action on immigration hurts our economy and puts families at risk,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Cities are where immigrants live, and cities are where the President’s executive action will be successfully implemented. Our cities are united, and we will fight for the immigration reform this nation needs and deserves – whether in the courtroom, in Congress, or in our communities. Make no mistake about it: our voices will be heard.”
“Our cities cannot afford delays to immigration reforms that will strengthen our economy and help families,” said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. “This isn’t a blue or red issue, but a human and economic one.”
The brief demonstrates robust support from the country’s largest cities – as well as suburbs and rural areas – for the President’s reforms, which will temporarily relieve from deportation thousands of immigrants who have longstanding ties to the U.S.
The cities and counties – representing 43 million people across the country – argue that the district court judge who temporarily blocked implementation of the programs failed to consider the significant harm to America’s local governments caused by this delay.
According to an analysis by the City, each month that the implementation of these programs is delayed, New York City and New York State will lose at least $1.5 million in additional state and local tax revenue that would be generated if 100,000 immigrants in New York City were able to access temporary work permits through executive action.
“New York’s immigrants are vital to our economy and we must do all we can to help them grow and thrive. Mayor de Blasio is correct – instead of putting up barriers, we should be looking at ways to help immigrants climb the ladder of economic opportunity and welcome them into our communities. The New York State Assembly Majority strongly supports President Obama’s executive action on immigration, and further delay by those who would derail this important initiative is unacceptable,” said New York State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.
“Each day we wait to implement President Obama’s bold immigration reforms, millions of hard-working families remain in legal limbo. Immigrant communities built New York City, and they are the heart and soul of urban centers across our country,” said Public Advocate Letitia James. “As Congress and federal courts stall meaningful progress on immigration, New York City will continue to lead the nation.”
As part of Cities United for Immigration Action, Mayors de Blasio and Garcetti led the effort to organize more than 70 cities and counties, the National League of Cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in arguing that the national public interest is served clearly and overwhelmingly by implementing immigration relief by executive action without delay. Today’s brief more than doubles the number of local governments that had previously voiced opposition to the lawsuit brought by states seeking to block President Obama’s immigration reform efforts.
The brief also argues that the District Court judge’s decision to block executive action with a preliminary injunction is bad for the economy, hurts families, threatens law enforcement priorities, and will stall desperately needed changes to the federal government’s immigration policies.
The de Blasio Administration has a proven track record of spearheading initiatives that integrate immigrants into the civic and economic life of New York City. From the IDNYC municipal identification program to increasing access to federal immigration benefits, New York City is committed to championing pro-immigrant policies that promote equity and create opportunity for all residents.
This collective action to offer the Court the crucial perspective of American cities and counties is an outcome of the organizing efforts of the Cities United for Immigration Action coalition. By filing this brief, America’s mayors and county leaders are making a strong statement in support of the President’s plan to grant administrative relief to over four million undocumented children and adults.
Numerous cities and counties signed on to today’s brief are located in states that brought the lawsuit against the Obama administration or have otherwise indicated support for the lawsuit, including five cities in Texas, six localities in New Jersey, two counties in Arizona, and three municipalities in Wisconsin. Cities and counties signed on to the brief (in formation) include the following local governments:
Alexandria, VA
Allentown, PA
Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Baltimore, MD
Bell, CA
Boston, MA
Bridgeport, CT
Buffalo, NY
Cambridge, MA
Central Falls, RI
Chapel Hill, NC
Charleston, SC
Chicago, IL
Coconino County, AZ
Columbia, SC
Columbus, OH
Dallas County, TX
Dayton, OH
Denver, CO
Dolton, IL
El Paso County, TX
Everett, MA
Gary, IN
Haledon, NJ
Hartford, CT
Highland Park, IL
Hoboken, NJ
Holyoke, MA
Houston, TX
Jersey City, NJ
Kansas City, MO
Little Rock, AR
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County, CA
Lucas County, OH
Madison, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Montgomery County, MD
Newark, NJ
New York, NY
Niagara Falls, NY
North Miami, FL
Oakland, CA
Paterson, NJ
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Plainfield, NJ
Portland, OR
Providence, RI
Racine, WI
Ramsey County, MN
Rochester, NY
Salt Lake City, UT
San Francisco, CA
San Jose, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Santa Cruz County, AZ
Santa Fe, NM
Santa Monica, CA
Schenectady, NY
Seattle, WA
Skokie, IL
St. Louis, MO
State College, PA
Syracuse, NY
Tacoma, WA
Tampa, FL
Travis County, TX
Washington, D.C.
West Covina, CA
Yonkers, NY
National League of Cities
U.S. Conference of Mayors
“We stand with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s decision to file a ‘friend-of-the-court’ brief in support of President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “The President’s executive action currently being blocked in the courts hurts The Bronx and New York City, with the borough losing out on potential local tax revenues that would be generated by these hard-working immigrants who just want to come out the shadows and positively contribute to our country. We are the land of opportunity, built on the ideal that we are melting pot that promotes equality for all and we must continue to strive for those ideals that make our country great.”
