Immigration

About the Task Force

The United States Conference of Mayors has long recognized that our cities and our nation have been built, strengthened, and sustained by immigrants, that our cities are inclusive, multicultural centers reflecting core American values that foster economic prosperity and opportunity, and that our diversity and inclusion keeps us competitive and makes us strong. The Conference’s comprehensive immigration policy includes a call for reforming our broken immigration system, providing Dreamers a pathway to lawful permanent residence and eventually citizenship, rebuilding and strengthening the United States Refugee Admissions Program, and making asylum accessible to those seeking refuge. Our Immigration Reform Task Force advocates on behalf of this policy.

Immigration Leadership

Mayor Mike Johnston | Denver
Immigration Reform Task Force Chair

Mayor John Cowen, Jr. | Brownsville
Vice Chair for Border Policy, Criminal & Social Justice Committee

Mayor Regina Romero | Tucso
Chair, Latino Alliance of the U.S. Conference of Mayors

Latest News and USCM Actions

Nation’s Mayors to DHS Secretary Nielsen: Don’t Punish Immigrants with New Public Charge Rules

Sara Durr2018-10-16T15:05:09-04:00October 10, 2018|

Updated October 15, 2018 WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) sent a letter signed by

Nation’s Mayors Ask HHS Secretary Azar for Clarity Regarding Treatment of Migrant Children

Sara Durr2018-10-04T12:00:19-04:00October 4, 2018|

WASHINGTON, DC — United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) President Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin has sent a letter to HHS

Statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on Trump Administration’s Proposed Changes to Public Charge Rule

Sara Durr2018-09-23T19:33:27-04:00September 23, 2018|

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

As Trump Administration Considers Reduction of Refugee Cap for 2019, Nation’s Mayors Push for Increase

Sara Durr2018-08-06T14:09:26-04:00August 6, 2018|

Washington, DC—Today, the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM), led by USCM President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin and USCM

Statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on Federal Government’s Efforts to Reunify Separated Families

Sara Durr2018-07-27T10:04:51-04:00July 27, 2018|

Washington, DC—Below is a statement by U.S. Conference of Mayors President and Columbia (SC) Mayor Steve Benjamin on the federal

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Additional Resources

Border Policy

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Other Immigration Issues

In Letter to Congressional Leaders, Mayors Call for Additional Funding to Bolster Local Organizations Serving Asylum Seekers Along the Southern Border, December 1, 2022
U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting, Immigration Discussion, January 19, 2022, Video: Speakers included Chris Magnus, Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, United States Department of Homeland Security; Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, The Ambassador of Mexico to the United States; and Jen Smyers, Chief of Staff, Office of Refugee Resettlement, United States Department of Health and Human Services.Read More
- USCM Lawsuit Challenging Trump Administration Immigration Conditions on DOJ Grants Settled, November 19, 2021
  - On July 16, 2018, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the City of Evanston filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions “to stop the federal government’s aggressive and escalating effort to force cities into becoming the deportation arm of the federal government.” Our case, handled by pro bono attorneys at Chicago-based Tabet DiVito & Rothstein LLC (“TDR”), challenged the immigration-related conditions that the Department of Justice imposed on receipt of Byrne JAG public safety grants. We filed the lawsuit at the request of the City of Chicago, which along with several other cities filed their own suits, and to carry out the Conference’s adopted policy.
  - At every instance in the legal process that followed our case was successful and as a result, Conference of Mayors members were able to continue to receive Byrne JAG funding without having to comply with the immigration-related conditions.
  - Upon taking office, President Biden revoked the Executive Order that established the policies behind the immigration-related conditions, and Justice Department lawyers began to settle the pending lawsuits, including ours. On November 19 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit dismissed the Justice Department’s merits’ appeal, and our case was settled. In addition, the Justice Department reimbursed our attorneys for a portion of the time they spent defending us. We are very grateful to our attorneys, TDR partners Brian Hausmann and Kate O’Brien, for the incredible work they did on behalf of America’s mayors and their cities.
- READOUT: American Mayors Convene with Administration Officials to Discuss Shared Immigration Priorities, March 19, 2021|
- Mayors Send Letter to Congress in Support of H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, March 17, 2021
- Mayors Applaud President Biden’s Executive Orders to Reunify Families Separated at the Border and Establish a Safe, Lawful Immigration System, February 2, 2021
- U.S. Mayors Applaud President Biden’s Day One Action on DACA, Other Immigration Provisions, January 20, 2021
- Fix Our Broken Immigration System, The Mayors’ 2020 Vision: An American Breakthrough, August 16, 2020

Staff Contact

Laura DeKoven Waxman | [email protected]