Bipartisan Group of American Mayors Urges Congressional Leaders to Act on DACA

Washington, DC – A bipartisan group of mayors and U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran have sent a letter to Congressional leaders, calling on them to provide permanent legal status and a pathway to citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. Mayors John Giles of Mesa, Jorge Elorza of Providence, Todd Gloria of San Diego, Regina Romero of Tucson, and Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles – the Conference’s leaders on immigration issues – signed the letter urging Congress to protect Dreamers. In the letter, the mayors write in part:

“The United States Conference of Mayors has had strong policy supporting permanent legal status and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and extension of the DACA program for many years. Our bipartisan organization has adopted this policy because it is the right thing to do – for Dreamers, for our communities and for our country.”

On a bipartisan basis, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has supported granting permanent legal status to Dreamers for more than 10 years and first called for establishment of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in 2012. The organization adopted policy in 2019 specifically calling for enactment of the American Dream and Promise Act.

The full text of the letter to Senators Schumer and McConnell, Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy can be found here and below:

November 17, 2022

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer                                 The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader                                                                  Republican Leader
United States Senate                                                        United States Senate

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi                                           The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Speaker                                                                             Republican Leader
United States House of Representatives                      United States House of Representatives

Dear Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, Leader McConnell, and Leader McCarthy:

It is critical that during the lame duck session Congress provide permanent legal status and a path to citizenship for all Dreamers – people who have lived in America since they were children and built their lives here.  We write on behalf of all the nation’s mayors to urge you to take whatever action is necessary and possible right away to accomplish this.

The Fifth Circuit’s decision in October finding DACA unlawful creates great concern among America’s mayors and uncertainty for DACA recipients, their families, and their communities across the country.  Dreamers and their families are our neighbors, our friends, our colleagues, and members of our families. They are integral to the fabric of the American tapestry and contribute immensely to our culture, our communities, and our economy. 

The United States Conference of Mayors has had strong policy supporting permanent legal status and a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers and extension of the DACA program for many years.  Our bipartisan organization has adopted this policy because it is the right thing to do – for Dreamers, for our communities and for our country.

Dreamers and their families are in limbo as a result of the Court decision. The time for Congress to act is now and America’s mayors stand ready to work with you to provide Dreamers permanent protections.

Sincerely,

John Giles
Mayor of Mesa
Co-Chair
Immigration Reform Task Force

Jorge Elorza
Mayor of Providence
Co-Chair
Immigration Reform Task Force

Todd Gloria
Mayor of San Diego
Vice Chair for Border Policy
Criminal and Social Justice Committee

Regina Romero
Mayor of Tucson
Chair, USCM Latino Alliance

Eric Garcetti
Mayor of Los Angeles
Past Chair, USCM Latino Alliance

Tom Cochran
CEO and Executive Director

cc. All members of the 117^th Congress