Immigration
Adopted at the 85th%20Winter%20Meeting in 2016
WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors has recognized that immigrants bring significant social, economic, and cultural benefits to communities nationwide; and
WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors has previously passed resolutions supporting immigration reform that include:
·Strengthening our borders and providing federal law enforcement agencies the necessary tools needed to enforce immigration laws, while assuring that state and local law enforcement is able to remain focused on community policing;
·Establishing a streamlined visa process to efficiently process seasonal, agricultural, lesser-skilled and high skilled workers; and
·Implementing a framework that enables people to come out of the shadows and fully pursue the American dream; and
WHEREAS, mayors in cities big and small will continue to foster welcoming and secure cities for all of their residents, regardless of who they are or where they come from; and
WHEREAS, In the absence of federal immigration policy reform, mayors and their cities continue to seek strategies to protected and secure all of their residents while ensuring that local law enforcement is focused on community policing;
WHEREAS, the dignity, health, rights, and privacy of all our residents must be respected, and our cities must ensure that members of our immigrant communities are afforded an opportunity to thrive in our cities; and 6.
WHEREAS, efforts to grant temporary protected status to shield undocumented immigrants who came here as children from deportation, many of whom have known no country other than America, has produced enormous gains for young people throughout this nation, allowing individuals who have undergone careful background checks to access work permits and be given temporary status, and
WHEREAS, recent efforts have also provided protected status to the undocumented parents of children who are serving our country in the armed forces; and
WHEREAS, immigrants form an integral part of the social and economic fabric and the future of our cities, and we will continue to create opportunities so that all of our immigrant residents can succeed and thrive,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we stand united as mayors through the United States Conference of Mayors in calling on Congress to fix our broken immigration system and immediately begin working toward the enactment of comprehensive immigration reform legislation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Conference of Mayors calls on Congress and the Administration to continue programs that protect the temporary status of Dreamers-young people brought to the country as children, through no fault of their own-as well as the continuation of programs that protect the families of those serving in our armed forces and that these groups be afforded the opportunity to fully integrate into our communities and our nation; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the United States Conference of Mayors will continue to advocate for an inclusive agenda that supports the economic, social and civic participation and vitality of immigrant communities.