Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President, Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on the Trump Administration’s immigration proposal:

“The nation’s mayors have long called on Congress and the Administration to fix our broken immigration system. While we are pleased the President is offering a plan and starting a discussion, we have serious concerns with the provisions of that plan.

“Based on our adopted policy, the U.S. Conference of Mayors believes that immigration reform must be family-based and must include: the Dream Act; strengthened border security, including funding for more CBP officers and more immigration judges; a streamlined visa system that provides access to the agricultural, lower-skilled and high-skilled workers we need; and an earned pathway to citizenship for the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country.

“As mayors, we see every day the great contributions our immigrant communities make to the diversity, ingenuity and cultural richness of our cities.  We look forward to working with Congress and the Administration on immigration reform legislation in a bipartisan way that is consistent with our principles and will fix our broken system.”