Washington, DC—Yesterday, a bipartisan delegation of border mayors, representing the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), met virtually with officials from the U.S Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to discuss critical issues facing mayors on and near the U.S. Mexico border. The meeting was led by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who was recently appointed as USCM’s Vice Chair for Border Policy.
The participating mayors took time to discuss the current situation in their own communities and the need for additional federal resources to assist community-based organizations providing services to this population. The mayors thanked the Biden administration for its continued partnership in managing the current situation as they rebuild America’s asylum and immigration systems to make it more just and compassionate. The mayors and administration officials pledged to continue an ongoing dialogue.
Mayors participating in the meeting included:
- Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, USCM President
- San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, Vice Chair for Border Policy, Criminal and Social Justice Committee
- Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller
- Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima
- Mesa Mayor John Giles
- Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez
- San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg
- Austin Mayor Steve Adler
- Yuma Mayor Doug Nicholls
- Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson
- El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser
- Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz
Participating Administration officials included:
- Brian Hyer, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Pritesh Gandhi, Chief Medical Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Alex Eastman, Senior Medical Officer for Operations, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Benjamin (Carry) Huffman, Executive Assistant Commissioner, Enterprise Services, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Tony Barker, Chief, U.S. Border Patrol – Law Enforcement Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Tim Quinn, Executive Director, Intergovernmental Public Liaison, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Camilla Wamsley, Principal Policy Advisor, Enforcement and Removal Operations, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement
- Christopher Smith, Director, Individual Assistance Division, Office of Response and Recovery, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Tod Wells, Deputy Director, Public Assistance Division, Office of Response and Recovery, Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Jenifer Smyers, Chief of Staff, Office of Refugee Resettlement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- Jallyn Sualog, Deputy Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services