June 2, 2008

USCM Policy on Comprehensive Immigration Reform

WHEREAS, our federal immigration system is broken and has become mismatched to the economic and social realities of cities; and

WHEREAS, the existing system has created waiting lists for most categories of family reunification to grow longer than five years; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. federal government and many employers, through practices and policies that are entirely inconsistent with federal laws, have led millions of immigrant workers to believe they are allowed to work in the U.S. without appropriate documentation; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. economy requires hundreds of thousands of foreign workers, far exceeding the outdated quotas currently placed on visas for foreign workers; and

WHEREAS, authorized and unauthorized foreign workers have become essential to the functioning of local economies; and

WHEREAS, inadequate border and internal enforcement mechanisms have allowed an increasing number of unauthorized workers to reside in the U.S.; and

WHEREAS, the current system has caused societal strain in cities because of the system’s tendency to push unauthorized workers into second-class status; and

WHEREAS, federal attempts to deputize local police to enforce federal immigration law have chilled budding relationships between local police and immigrant communities; and

WHEREAS, the federal effort at deputizing local police with limited immigration authority has the tendency to distract local police departments from their principal charge of preventing crime, ensuring public safety, and serving local communities,

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The U.S. Conference of Mayors urges comprehensive immigration reform that would improve security, bolster economic prosperity, and provide the approximately 12 million people already in the U.S. without legal authorization an opportunity to earn their permanent residence and citizenship, provided (1) they have not committed serious crimes, (2) they have learned, or are in the process of learning English, and (3) they pay taxes and social security on their earnings.