FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 5, 2018
CONTACT: [email protected]

MAYORS & COUNTY OFFICIALS URGE CONGRESS TO BRING THE DREAM ACT UP FOR A VOTE

Cities for Action leaders issue letter calling on House to vote for pathway to citizenship for Dreamers

WASHINGTON – Today, over 110 mayors and county officials sent a letter to Speaker Ryan and Minority Leader Pelosi urging them to bring the DREAM Act up for a vote. The letter commends the bipartisan efforts on House Resolution 774, which seeks to break the impasse in Congress and allow the House of Representatives to vote on four bills, including the DREAM Act, which would provide a pathway to citizenship to Dreamers. The localities who are signatories to the letter have undertaken significant local efforts to support Dreamers, but Congress must now use its power to pass legislation to protect Dreamers and provide them with a permanent place in the country they call home.

The mayors and county executives who have signed on to today’s letter to Congress are part of Cities for Action, a coalition of over 175 cities and counties, representing over 70 million residents, leading on immigration action through federal advocacy and local programs.

See below for quotes from signatories and the full text of the letter:

“Ending DACA would mean that almost 800,000 young people who came to the United States as children would be at risk of deportation and separation from their families and communities. Not only do they pay taxes, but they have enriched and strengthened our cities, businesses, schools, and families and represent the very best of what immigrants have to offer the United States. Let’s make an investment in our future by letting Dreamers remain and work for the greater good of our country.”
-Jesse Arreguín, Mayor of Berkeley, CA

“America isn’t simply defined by its borders -- America is defined by its values. Boston is a proud City of immigrants, and I will never stop fighting for equality and justice for all. That's why I am joining local leaders throughout the country and urging Congress to act, giving DACA recipients real pathways to permanent residency and citizenship.”
-Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston, MA

“The economic cost to ending this program in Colorado, which would mean removing an estimated 17,000 workers, is an estimated annual GDP loss of $856,946,796. Boulder encourages the Administration and Congress to demonstrate a commitment to the American economy and the ideals of our nation by continuing DACA at least until Congress has the ability to modernize our immigration system and provide a more permanent form of relief for these individuals.”
-Suzanne Jones, Mayor of Boulder, CO

“Dreamers are our neighbors, our friends, our relatives, and our future. They are part of our communities and ours are the only communities many of them have ever known. It is time that we provide them a path to become permanent residents and citizens of our country.”
-Patrick Wojahn, Mayor of College Park, MD

“The President and Congress have a moral obligation to give DACA recipients a pathway to citizenship as part of any spending bill. These are young people who have passed background checks, they work and go to school, and they are valued members of their communities here in Hartford and across our country. We should be able to come together as a country and deliver for these Dreamers, and I’m proud to stand with scores of local leaders who are calling for compassion and common sense to prevail.”
-Luke A. Bronin, Mayor of Hartford, CT

“Long Beach is home to thousands of Dreamers and DACA recipients, many of whom are amazing students at CSULB, LBCC and in our Long Beach High Schools. We support them and their families - they are a part of our community, as scholars, workers in our small businesses, and athletes on our local school teams. We stand with our Dreamers and DACA recipients because they contribute to our city and make Long Beach better.”
-Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach, CA

“This has gone on too long. We need a clean Dreamers bill.”
-Paul Soglin, Mayor of Madison, WI

“Dreamers have experienced enough uncertainty and upheaval. The path forward is clear: Congress must vote on the DREAM Act. Dreamers make our cities stronger, and they’re here to stay.”
-Bill de Blasio, Mayor of the City of New York

“The importance of keeping America's promise to the nearly 230,000 young people in California who are currently working toward the American dream in our ultimate nation of immigrants cannot be overstated. In California alone, stripping DACA recipients of their work authorization will have an $11 billion economic impact on our economy, coupled with the human cost of tearing apart families and threatening livelihoods. Failure to act on this congressional spending bill is an affront to democracy and un-American.”
-Libby Schaaf, Mayor of Oakland, CA

“By any measure, America is a better place for all of us to live because of our Dreamers. They are some of our best and brightest students, business leaders and public servants. I am proud to stand with my fellow Mayors in calling for swift Congressional action that protects our Dreamers and thus our entire country!”
-Buddy Dyer, Mayor of Orlando, FL

“Dreamers are as much a part of the fabric of this country as anyone else. I’m proud to join in this effort in urging our Congress to pass a solution with a permanent pathway to citizenship for Dreamers. Philadelphia knows firsthand how critical Dreamers are to local communities. As Mayor, I will continue to advocate for Dreamers because our families, communities, and economies need them. Many have been able to fulfill their dreams of attending college and launching their careers. Dreamers are our lawyers, nurses, teachers, and service members. The Stakes are too high – Congress must act now to keep families together and keep our economy strong.”
-Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia, PA

“Ramsey County proudly stands with jurisdictions throughout the U.S. in urging swift action by Congress to provide Dreamers with a permanent solution and a pathway to citizenship. As the second largest county in Minnesota, most Dreamers reside in our county. We acknowledge and recognize that Dreamers contribute significantly to our economy, they strengthen individual and familial well-being, and their talents and assets enhance access to opportunity for all. We thrive, when we all have equal opportunities to thrive.”
-Jim McDonough, Chair of the Ramsey County Board, MN

“Rockford, IL has a rich history of immigrants with a long and proud legacy of building this community from the ground up. Their contributions to our community are strong and we want everyone who comes to Rockford to have that same opportunity and that same chance to succeed. I’m concerned that the Trump administration will impede the progress we have made and I urge Congress to act immediately.”
-Thomas P. McNamara, Mayor of Rockford, IL

“There are 800,000 Dreamers living in this country today. They have faced numerous challenges and cleared many hurdles to receive their DACA status, and now are truly unaware of their future. This would be a frightening situation for any human being. My hope is that this collection of city leaders from around the country coming together on this issue will speak volumes to our federal leaders who are empowered with the ability to right this injustice. I urge the leadership in Washington to pass legislation now that will allow them to continue to live and work in the only country they know. There is no better time than now to stand up for these Dreamers, these Americans.”
-John Thomaides, Mayor of San Marcos, TX

“As with other cities in our nation, Tukwila is an inclusive, diverse city made up of families who have lived here for generations and some who have lived here only a few weeks. We are proud that the fabric of our community is built on our diversity, and we celebrate this reality on a daily basis. Walking through the hallways of our Foster High School you hear more than 80 languages spoken. The richness of the various cultures, languages and cuisines make our neighborhoods special and provide a unique perspective for our residents. Residents who have chosen our city are already affected by DACA wavering and thus our entire community is concerned. I urge Congress to allow our neighbors to stay and continue to contribute to our community.”
-Allan Ekberg, Mayor of Tukwila, WA

Below is the full text of the letter from Cities for Action:

The Honorable Paul D. Ryan
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Democratic Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515

June 5, 2018

Dear Speaker Ryan and Minority Leader Pelosi:

We, the undersigned mayors and county executives, urge you to move expeditiously to pass a bipartisan solution with a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers that does not further harm immigrant communities—the DREAM Act. We are gravely concerned about the futures of Dreamers, hundreds of thousands of whom know our cities and counties as home. We are equally concerned about the increases in immigrant detention and non-criminal arrests over the past year. Congress can and must provide permanent protections for Dreamers without increasing enforcement measures against immigrants at large.

As local leaders we work closely with our residents. We know first-hand that immigrants are cornerstones of our communities who contribute with their diverse perspectives and ingenuity to our local economies and participate robustly in civic life. This is why we are members of Cities for Action, a national coalition that advocates for inclusion of immigrants into our communities to create stronger, safer, and more prosperous cities. Our coalition includes over 175 mayors and county executives, representing over 70 million residents, including 17 million foreign-born residents. The 1.3 million young undocumented immigrants enrolled or immediately eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program contribute an estimated $2 billion a year in state and local taxes to economies like ours. DACA-eligible residents pay an average of 8.9 percent of their income in state and local taxes.

Recent federal court decisions currently allow DACA recipients to apply for renewals but DACA recipients are hesitating to renew because of the uncertainty over the future of the program, despite our robust efforts at the local level to conduct community outreach. We are concerned that Dreamers without DACA status will be in danger of deportation. Every day that Congress fails to pass legislation, more young lives are thrown into chaos.

DACA recipients have done everything the government has asked of them in good faith: they have proven that they are not public safety threats, submitted to regular check-ins, earned degrees, served in the military, and paid their taxes. They deserve a permanent place in this country they call home. We commend the bipartisan efforts on House Resolution 774 which already has the support of over half of the House of Representatives. We urge you to listen to these Members of Congress and bring legislation that protects Dreamers up for a vote. This is an opportunity to pass the DREAM Act, and finally provide Dreamers the protection they deserve.

Sincerely,

Kathy Sheehan, Mayor of Albany, NY
Allison Silberberg, Mayor of Alexandria, VA
Ray O’Connell, Mayor of Allentown/Lehigh County, PA
Ethan Berkowitz, Mayor of the Municipality of Anchorage, AK
Sofia Pereira, Mayor of the City of Arcata, CA
Jose T. Gurrola, Mayor of the City of Arvin, CA
Esther E. Manheimer, Mayor of Asheville, NC
Steve Adler, Mayor of Austin, TX
Catherine E. Pugh, Mayor of Baltimore City, MD
Jesse Arreguin, Mayor of Berkeley, CA
John Hamilton, Mayor of Bloomington, IN
David H. Bieter, Mayor of Boise, ID
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston, MA
Suzanne Jones, Mayor of the City of Boulder, CO
Eric Mamula, Mayor of the Town of Breckenridge, CO
Joe Ganim, Mayor of Bridgeport, CT
Bill Carpenter, Mayor of Brockton, MA
Antonio Martinez, Mayor of Brownsville, TX
Marc McGovern, Mayor of Cambridge, MA
James Brainard, Mayor of Carmel, IN
James Diossa, Mayor of Central Falls, RI
Pam Hemminger, Mayor of Chapel Hill, NC
Thomas G. Ambrosino, City Manager of Chelsea, MA
Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of the City of Chicago, IL
Mary Casillas Salas, Mayor of the City of Chula Vista, CA
Patrick L. Wojahn, Mayor of College Park, MD
Steve Benjamin, Mayor of Columbia, SC
Andrew J. Ginther, Mayor of the City of Columbus, OH
Toni Preckwinkle, President of Cook County, IL
Darcy Paul, Mayor of Cupertino, CA
Mike Rawlings, Mayor of Dallas, TX
Michael B. Hancock, Mayor of the City and County of Denver, CO
Mike Duggan, Mayor of Detroit, MI
Cherise Tieben, City Manager of the City of Dodge City, KS
Riley H. Rogers, Mayor of Dolton, IL
Salvatore J. Panto, Jr., Mayor of Easton, PA
Raul Reyes, Mayor of El Cenizo, TX
John J. Bauters, Mayor of Emeryville, CA
Carlo DeMaria, Mayor of Everett, MA.
Lioneld Jordan, Mayor of Fayetteville, AR
Lydia L Mihalik, Mayor of Findlay, OH
Sandy Sanders, Mayor of Fort Smith, AR
Karen Freeman-Wilson, Mayor of Gary/Lake County, IN
Rosalynn Bliss, Mayor of Grand Rapids, MI
Karen Majewski, Mayor of Hamtramck, MI
Rodney S. Craig, Mayor of Hanover Park, IL
Luke A. Bronin, Mayor of Hartford, CT
Nancy R. Rotering, Mayor of the City Highland Park, IL
Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston, TX
Pete Muldoon, Mayor of Jackson, WY
Sly James, Mayor of the City of Kansas City, MO
Dow Constantine, County Executive, King County, WA
Madeline Rogero, Mayor of Knoxville, TN
Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach, CA
Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, CA
Pete Gerken, Carol Contrada, and Tina Skeldon Wozniak, Lucas County Commissioners, Toledo, OH
Paul R. Soglin, Mayor of Madison, WI
Damon Connolly, President, Marin County (CA) Board of Supervisors, Marin County, CA
Joel T.S. Greer, Mayor of Marshalltown, IA
Stephanie Muccini Burke, Mayor of Medford, MA
John Giles, Mayor of Mesa, AZ
Tom Barrett, Mayor of Milwaukee, WI
Jacob Frey, Mayor of Minneapolis, MN
John Hollar, Mayor of Montpelier, VT
Alan L. Nagy, Mayor of Newark, CA
Jon Mitchell, Mayor of New Bedford, MA
Noam Bramson, Mayor of New Rochelle, NY
Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City, NY
Libby Schaaf, Mayor of Oakland, CA
Timothy Lonergan, Mayor of Oakland Park, FL
Cheryl Selby, Mayor of Olympia, WA
Buddy Dyer, Mayor of Orlando, FL
Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia, PA
Greg Stanton, Mayor of Phoenix, AZ
William Peduto, Mayor of Pittsburgh, PA
Liz Lempert, Mayor of Princeton, NJ
Jorge Elorza, Mayor of Providence, RI
Jim McDonough, Chair of the Ramsey County Board, Ramsey County, MN
Hillary Schieve, Mayor of Reno, NV
Tom Butt, Mayor of Richmond, CA
Bryan K. Barnett, Mayor of Rochester Hills, MI
Thomas P. McNamara, Mayor of Rockford, IL
Darrell Steinberg, Mayor of Sacramento, CA
Jackie Biskupski, Mayor of Salt Lake City, UT
Chair Celine Kennelly and Vice Chair Mario Paz, San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission, San Francisco, CA
Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San José, CA
Pauline Russo Cutter, Mayor of the City of San Leandro, CA
Heidi Harmon, Mayor of San Luis Obispo, CA
John Thomaides Mayor of San Marcos, TX
Lyda Krewson, Mayor of St. Louis, MO
Melvin Carter III, Mayor of Saint Paul, MN
Ted Winterer, Mayor of Santa Monica, CA
Chris Coursey, Mayor of the City of Santa Rosa, CA
Jenny Durkan, Mayor of Seattle, WA
Chris Roberts, Councilmember, Shoreline, WA
George Van Dusen, Mayor of the Village of Skokie, IL
Jeffrey Z. Slavin, Mayor of Somerset, MD
Joseph A. Curtatone, Mayor of Somerville, MA
Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of South Bend, IN
Donald M. Hahn, Mayor of State College, PA
Mark Prosser, Public Safety Director/ Police Chief of Storm Lake, Iowa
Javier Perea, Mayor of the City of Sunland Park, NM
Victoria Woodards, Mayor of Tacoma, WA
Wade Kapszukiewicz, Mayor of Toledo, OH
Sarah Eckhardt, County Judge, Travis County, TX
Jonathan Rothschild, Mayor of Tucson, AZ
Allan Ekberg, Mayor of Tukwila, WA
Carol Dutra-Vernaci, Mayor of Union City, CA
Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington, DC
Christopher Cabaldon, Mayor of West Sacramento, CA
Daniel Corona, Mayor of West Wendover, NV
Thomas M. Roach, Mayor of White Plains, NY
Don Saylor and Jim Provenza, County Supervisors of Yolo County, CA

For Immediate Release
May 4, 2018

Contact
[email protected] 

 Cities for Action denounces Trump Administration's decision to terminate TPS for Hondurans, calls on Congress to take action

Cities for Action condemns the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduras. This decision will affect 57,000 Honduran TPS recipients who have been granted work authorization and protection from deportation in the United States since 1999. Last week, 26 Cities for Action mayors and county executives issued a letter calling on the Trump Administration to extend Honduras’s TPS designation, citing Honduras’s incomplete recovery from multiple natural disasters, including Hurricane Mitch, which killed over 11,000 people and had a devastating impact on Honduras’s infrastructure. As local leaders, it is our responsibility to protect all our residents, and it is inhumane to send Honduran TPS recipients back to a country that cannot safely reabsorb its nationals. We call on Congress to bring empathy and justice back to U.S. immigration policy and pass legislation offering long-term TPS holders permanent protection in the United States.

For Immediate Release: April 27, 2018
Contact: [email protected]

Cities for Action leaders issue letter to the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State in support of an extension of TPS for Honduras

WASHINGTON – In anticipation of the Department of Homeland Security’s decision on Honduran TPS, 26 mayors and county executives issued a letter today to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Secretary of State Michael Pompeo urging them to extend Honduras’s TPS designation for a full 18 months. An estimated 57,000 Honduran TPS recipients have resided in the U.S. since 1998 – they own homes, raise U.S. citizen children, contribute to local economies, and have deep roots in communities. The letter urges Administration officials to take into consideration Honduras’s incomplete recovery from natural disasters and inability to safely reabsorb its nationals.  

About Cities for Action

The mayors who have signed today's letter to Secretary Nielsen and Secretary Pompeo are part of Cities for Action, a coalition of over 175 mayors and county executives leading on immigration action and immigrant inclusion efforts.

See below for quotes from signatories:

"I urge Secretary Nielsen to extend the safety and security that this protection provides to thousands of families, including 3,000 Honduran New Yorkers. On average, they have been living in this country for nearly 20 years, while contributing to the economic and cultural vitality of our city. Revoking this critical protection would pull parents from their children and force them to return to unsafe conditions. New York City is their home and they should be allowed to stay here.”– Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City

“Mayors around the country are advocating for the extension of TPS for Honduras because we recognize the importance of community and family cohesiveness,” said Carlo DeMaria, Mayor of Everett, MA. “We know Honduras has not fully recovered and simply cannot handle the return of so many citizens, and it would be cruel to force a return at this point. These people are valuable members of our communities, and we want them to stay here to continue contributing to our cities in so many ways.”

“Ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from Honduras will force these individuals to return to the lives they had to leave behind, often to situations that have not recovered from natural disasters," said Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston. "It will take them away from the lives they’ve built over the past two decades in Boston and throughout the United States. Many TPS holders have children and spouses who are U.S. citizens. They are our neighbors and co-workers who pay taxes, contribute to our economy, and are important members of our communities. In Boston, we’ve never forgotten that we are a city of immigrants and that our diversity and opportunity are what make America great." 

Below is the full text of the letter from Cities for Action:

The Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen
Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20528

The Honorable Michael Pompeo
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20520

April 27, 2018

Dear Secretary Nielsen and Secretary Pompeo:

We, the undersigned mayors and county executives of the Cities for Action coalition, urge you to extend Honduras’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for 18 months. Cities for Action is a national, bipartisan coalition of over 175 cities and counties that advocates for policies that protect and support our immigrant residents. Approximately 57,000 Honduran TPS recipients have lived in the United States since at least 1998, many of whom reside in and contribute to the cities and counties we represent. We are gravely concerned that failure to extend Honduran TPS will lead to the separation of families, negatively impacting thousands of children and causing irreparable harm to Hondurans who call our communities home. We encourage you to make the humanitarian and practical-minded decision to extend Honduras’s TPS designation.

Honduras’s TPS applies to a limited group of Hondurans who were living in the United States when Hurricane Mitch devastated the country in 1998. The storm killed more than 5,000 people, wiped out the majority of Honduras’s infrastructure, and destroyed 70% of its crops. Hundreds of landslides and the worst flooding of the twentieth century were followed by outbreaks of cholera and Dengue fever. At the time, Honduran President Carlos Roberto Flores estimated that the hurricane reversed 50 years of progress in the country. The conditions in Honduras have deteriorated further with the rise of mosquito-borne diseases following Tropical Storm Hanna in 2008 and a catastrophic drought that caused food insecurity and economic recession. The Bush and Obama Administrations repeatedly extended Honduras’ TPS designation, recognizing that the devastation and the country’s incomplete recovery efforts hobbled Honduras’s ability to safely reabsorb its nationals.

Honduran TPS holders have established lives and families in our communities despite continued uncertainty over the future of Honduras and their own TPS designation. Honduran TPS recipients, on average, have lived in the U.S. for over 20 years and have an estimated 53,500 U.S.-born children. With a labor force participation rate of nearly 85 percent, most Honduran TPS recipients are employed in the fields of construction, landscaping, hospital care, child care, and food services – building and supporting our cities and our residents. Despite living in limbo with a temporary status that in many cases cannot lead to permanent residency, over 9,000 Honduran TPS recipients have purchased a home with a mortgage. Our cities value the immense contributions of Honduran TPS recipients – as family members, workers, and homeowners – and we urge you to provide a measure of certainty to our fellow residents with an extension of TPS.

As city and county leaders, the safety and well-being of our residents is of utmost importance. We recognize that Honduran TPS holders are well-established residents with deep ties to our communities through their families, jobs, and homes. We advise you to recognize the extraordinary hardship that forcing these individuals to return to Honduras would cause and the social and fiscal impacts of separating families and removing workers in our communities. Therefore, we urge you to extend Honduras’s TPS designation for a full 18 months.

Sincerely,

Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston, MA

Pam Hemminger, Mayor of Chapel Hill, NC

Thomas G. Ambrosino, City Manager of Chelsea, MA

Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of the City of Chicago, IL

Toni Preckwinkle, President of Cook County, IL

Mike Rawlings, Mayor of Dallas, TX

Riley H. Rogers, Mayor of Dolton, IL

John J. Bauters, Mayor of the City of Emeryville, CA

Carlo DeMaria, Mayor of Everett, MA

Karen Freeman-Wilson, Mayor of Gary, IN

Dow Constantine, County Executive of King County, WA

David J. Berger, Mayor of Lima, OH

Robert Garcia, Mayor of Long Beach, CA

Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, CA

Jacob Frey, Mayor of Minneapolis, MN

Isiah Leggett, County Executive of Montgomery County, MD

Jennifer Gregerson, Mayor of Mukilteo, WA

Bill de Blasio, Mayor of the City of New York, NY

Libby Schaaf, Mayor of Oakland, CA

Jim Kenney, Mayor of Philadelphia, PA

Adrian O. Mapp, Mayor of the City of Plainfield, NJ

Liz Lempert, Mayor of Princeton, NJ

Jorge Elorza, Mayor of Providence, RI

Stephanie Venegas, Mayor of Santa Monica, CA

Thomas M. Roach, Mayor of White Plains, NY

Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington, D.C.

 Cities for Action calls on Congress to protect TPS recipients as Trump Administration announces the phase-out of TPS for Nepal

Cities for Action condemns the Trump Administration’s decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status for Nepal. Nearly 9,000 Nepali TPS holders throughout the United States have sought refuge in our country and contribute to the economic diversity and cultural vibrancy of our cities, yet the Trump Administration has jeopardized their future. The White House is blatantly ignoring the purpose of TPS and abdicating its moral responsibility to protect Nepalis in the United States from the continuing impact of the devastating 2015 earthquakes in Nepal. Now that the President has abandoned Nepali TPS recipients, Congress must act swiftly to protect this community. 

In the six months since rescinding DACA, the President has rejected commonsense, bi-partisan attempts to fix DACA. Thousands of Dreamers have already lost their status because of the President’s action and it is incumbent on leaders in Congress to fix this crisis. A federal court injunction provides temporary relief for DACA recipients, enabling them to seek status renewals, but this is no replacement for what our Dreamers need: a real pathway to citizenship. Cities and counties are stronger because of Dreamers’ contributions, and we will continue to fight alongside them until Washington takes action.

For Immediate Release: January 30, 2018
Contact: [email protected]

NYC and Chicago leaders to Trump Administration: Extend Syrian TPS to prevent thousands from being forced to return to a warzone

NEW YORK & CHICAGO - On the eve of the federal government’s anticipated determination on Syrian TPS, leaders from New York City and Chicago authored a joint op-ed urging the President and his Administration to extend TPS for the nearly 7,000 Syrians living in the United States. The two cities have some of the largest Syrian communities in the United States and represent Cities for Action, a national coalition of cities and counties advocating for smart, inclusive immigration policies. In the op-ed, Bitta Mostofi, the Acting Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and Seemi Choudry, the Director of the Mayor’s Office of New Americans for the City of Chicago, state that the civil war in Syria has devastated the country and would prevent its nationals’ safe return.

The full text of the op-ed is available on Medium as well as below:

CITIES URGE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION NOT TO FORCE SYRIANS BACK TO A WARZONE

By Bitta Mostofi, Acting Commissioner of the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, and Seemi Choudry, Director of the Mayor’s Office of New Americans for the City of Chicago

Meet Sarah[1], a Syrian New Yorker. Sarah came to the United States from Syria on a student visa and attended graduate school, eventually obtaining two advanced degrees. By the time she graduated in 2016, conditions in Syria were too dangerous for her to return. So, she applied for Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, and built a life in New York City, which she considers her “home away from home.” A natural teacher, she is intelligent, warm, and generous, committed to her profession and volunteering for a variety of Syrian women and children’s causes. But today, she is living in a state of uncertainty, a cruel limbo. Even identifying her may endanger her family still in Syria. Now she is unsure if she will be forced to leave her adopted city and return to a country still engulfed in war.

Sarah is not alone. Nearly 7,000 Syrians have received TPS since 2012, when the Department of Homeland Security designated the protection for Syrians residing in the United States because of a violent armed conflict in Syria. TPS enables Syrian nationals already in the United States at the time the war broke out to stay here and work lawfully until Syria is safe enough for them to return. Our cities, New York and Chicago, are home to some of the United States’ largest Syrian communities, and are part of Cities for Action, a national coalition of over 175 U.S. cities advocating for smart, inclusive immigration policies. As leaders of our cities’ immigrant affairs offices, we are responsible for our immigrant residents’ safety and well-being. In light of clear evidence that Syrians still cannot return safely, we call on the Administration to re-designate Syria for TPS.

Syria was first designated for TPS after the Syrian government brutally suppressed protestors, sparking a civil war. Since then, government forces and mercenaries have targeted civilians with forced conscription, arbitrary detentions, disappearances, torture, bombings, and executions. According to a 2017 U.S. State Department human rights report, the regime has also attacked children and humanitarian workers and used barrel bombs and chemical weapons on civilians. Due to persistently dire conditions, Syria was re-designated for TPS in 2013, 2015, and 2016. Today, humanitarian conditions in Syria remain bleak. The war has devastated the country’s health infrastructure and destroyed more than half of its hospitals.

According to the standards under federal law, Syria is a clear-cut case for TPS: a country in which extraordinary conditions prevent its nationals’ safe return. But recent terminations of TPS for countries like El Salvador and Haiti show that the Trump Administration prioritizes ideology over these standards, and over the safety of our residents. Failure to extend Syrian TPS would demonstrate a willingness to put people in mortal danger to satisfy a xenophobic agenda. We urge the Trump Administration and the Department of Homeland Security to extend TPS for Syrians seeking safety in our country, and not send nearly 7,000 people back to a warzone.

[1] Pseudonym to protect the contributor’s identity

###

For Immediate Release: January 8, 2018

Contact: [email protected]

Trump Administration's decision to end Salvadoran TPS cruel and counter-productive, Congress must pass legislation to protect TPS recipients

For thousands of Salvadorans across the country, today’s decision means losing their homes and livelihoods, and being torn from their children and communities. For the White House, this is another brick in the wall of Donald Trump’s deportation-driven immigration agenda. As Cities for Action leaders told the Trump Administration as recently as last week, it is simply cruel and counter-productive to send nearly 200,000 individuals to a country that cannot absorb and reintegrate them. Salvadoran TPS recipients have lived in the United States for two decades on average, contribute to the economy, and have gone through regular security screening. Rescinding TPS for these residents will throw into chaos hundreds of thousands of lives, including for 192,700 U.S.-born children. We now need Congress to pass legislation providing TPS recipients with a pathway to citizenship so that we can keep families together and our cities prosperous.

For Immediate Release: January 3, 2018
Contact: [email protected]

BIPARTISAN MAYORS ISSUE LETTER URGING THE ADMINISTRATION TO EXTEND TPS FOR EL SALVADOR

Cities for Action leaders call on the Trump Administration to extend TPS for Salvadorans ahead of January 8 deadline

WASHINGTON –With the January 8 deadline looming, 19 mayors and municipal leaders issued a letter today to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson imploring them to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by 18 months for Salvadorans who cannot safely return to El Salvador.

Cities for Action mayors and county leaders represent most of the estimated 195,000 Salvadoran TPS holders nationwide. In the letter the local leaders emphasize the social, economic, and cultural contributions of Salvadoran TPS recipients to their localities, as well as the dire conditions that persist in El Salvador. TPS recipients from El Salvador have lived in the United States for an average of 21 years and they contribute over $3 billion to the US GDP. Ending TPS, the elected officials write, would callously send many of our long-time community members back to a country that struggles to address basic infrastructural needs and cannot safely absorb its nationals. Any decision to terminate or wind down TPS for El Salvador would needlessly divide families and put long-time residents in danger.

About Cities for Action

The mayors and county executives who have signed today’s letter to Secretaries Nielsen and Tillerson are part of Cities for Action, a coalition of over 175 cities and counties that are committed to driving the national debate on immigration policies and integrating immigrants through best practices at the municipal level.

See below for quotes from signatories:

“The people of El Salvador have suffered tremendously in their homeland in recent years. The City of Houston has welcomed them with open arms. We continue to do so, and El Salvadoreans have contributed profoundly to our culture and our economy. We ask that Temporary Protected Status be extended so El Salvadoreans can safely remain in Houston.” - Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner

“Americans do not want to turn their backs on people who have fled horrific circumstances and begun building lives in the United States. The Administration should extend TPS for El Salvador, so that thousands of our neighbors don’t face the anguish of worrying that they — or their children — are at risk for violence.” - Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti

“I stand shoulder to shoulder with Mayors across the country and the 4,000 Salvadoran New Yorkers with TPS to call for an 18-month extension. When their country was hit by a natural disaster, these individuals took refuge in our city and have since become deeply embedded in our economy, houses of worship, schools and neighborhoods. Not only that, but over 3,500 U.S.-born children live in families with a Salvadoran TPS recipient. It would be callous and cruel to rip these productive residents from their homes to force them back to a country that is experiencing tremendous violence and instability.” – New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

“TPS recipients are our friends, neighbors, classmates, and colleagues. In Washington, DC and in cities across the country, Salvadorans own businesses, lead our communities, and make tremendous contributions to our economy. Many Salvadorans have legally lived and worked in the U.S. for nearly two decades; they have built lives and careers in the U.S., and, for many, their children know no other home. Since 2001, the U.S. has continued to renew El Salvador’s TPS designation, recognizing that the country is still not ready to successfully and safely receive tens of thousands of people. Today, I am proud to join mayors and county officials from across the country in urging the Trump Administration to help build a safer, stronger country by extending El Salvador's Temporary Protected Status." - Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser 

Below is the full text of the letter from Cities for Action:

The Honorable Kirstjen Nielsen
Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20528

The Honorable Rex Tillerson
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

January 3, 2018

Dear Secretary Nielsen and Secretary Tillerson:

We, the undersigned mayors and county executives, urge you to renew El Salvador’s Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation before it comes due for extension on January 8, 2018. We write on behalf of our communities as well as Cities for Action, a national coalition of more than 175 cities and counties that advocate for policies that protect and support our immigrant residents. Most of the estimated 195,000 Salvadoran TPS holders live in metropolitan areas that are represented in our coalition. As local officials, it is our obligation to ensure all of our residents’ safety and well-being, including those of immigrants and their families. We are gravely concerned that failure to renew El Salvador’s TPS designation will harm hundreds of thousands of people in our communities.

Congress created TPS for circumstances in which a country’s conditions are too dangerous to permit the safe return of a group of nationals, and El Salvador is a textbook example of such conditions. El Salvador was first designated for TPS status by the Bush Administration in 2001, after two devastating earthquakes. Its designation has been renewed at every juncture since because subsequent natural disasters have impeded the country’s recovery and have given rise to unstable living conditions, including drought, housing shortages, poverty, and water shortages. In the security vacuum left by a government that struggles to address even its most basic infrastructural needs, violence and crime ravage the country. Activity by brutal gangs such as 18th Street and MS-13 is widespread, armed robbery is common, and the country has one of the world’s highest murder rates. As the State Department human rights report from 2017 noted, one in five families in El Salvador claims to have been victims of violent crimes. Women and children have been particularly vulnerable to endemic sexual abuse and gender-based violence.

The Salvadoran TPS recipients we represent have deep roots in our communities. Allowing their TPS status to expire will divide families and harm our cities. Salvadoran TPS recipients have lived in the United States for an average of 21 years and have 192,700 U.S.-born children. Salvadoran TPS recipients have an extremely high rate of participation in the labor force—88%.  They contribute over $3 billion to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product. Of households with a Salvadoran TPS recipient, 34% have a mortgage. Our long-time Salvadoran residents are integral members of our neighborhoods and our cities depend on their critical contributions.  

Ending TPS would send many of our long-time Salvadoran residents back to a country that cannot adequately handle the return of its nationals. Their removal would also harm hundreds of thousands of Americans, particularly their U.S. citizen children, as well as their neighbors, coworkers, and employers. We call upon the federal government to renew El Salvador’s TPS designation for 18 months and protect our hardworking community members.

We urge you to continue protecting these longstanding members of our societies, who contribute so much to our communities and economies.

Sincerely,

Ed Pawlowski, Mayor of Allentown, PA

Steve Hogan, Mayor of Aurora, CO

Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston, MA

Lydia Lavelle, Mayor of Carrboro, NC

Thomas G. Ambrosino, City Manager of Chelsea, MA

Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago, IL

Michael S. Rawlings, Mayor of Dallas, TX

Riley H. Rogers, Mayor of Dolton, IL

Sylvester Turner, Mayor of Houston, TX

Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Los Angeles, CA

Paul R. Soglin, Mayor of Madison, WI

Megan Barry, Mayor of Nashville, TN

Bill de Blasio, Mayor of New York City, NY

Libby Schaaf, Mayor of Oakland, CA

Christopher B. Coleman, Mayor of Saint Paul, MN

Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San José, CA

Ted Winterer, Mayor of Santa Monica, CA

Joseph A. Curtatone, Mayor of Somerville, MA

Muriel Bowser, Mayor of Washington, D.C.

Cities for Action: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will hurt immigrant and mixed-status families

By signing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the President has doubled down on his position that children from working class families are less important to him than the ultra-wealthy. This tax bill hurts cities across the country, and takes special aim at immigrant and mixed-status families by denying the Child Tax Credit for many children. We denounce the President for supporting this bill and those in Congress who voted to jeopardize the well-being of families across the nation. We won't let up from fighting against actions like these that target our most vulnerable residents.

 Cities for Action calls on Congress to pass legislation to protect TPS recipients as Trump Administration announces the phase-out of TPS for Haitians  

Cities for Action condemns the Trump Administration's decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. This decision will endanger the lives of 50,000 Haitians who have lived in the U.S. for many years, have U.S. citizen children and family members, and have contributed economically and culturally to the U.S. They will have to return to a country that has yet to fully recover from the devastating impacts of the 2010 earthquake and subsequent problems of widespread displacement, food shortages, and insufficient medical care, conditions which were exacerbated by Hurricane Matthew and a cholera epidemic. Haiti cannot safely absorb 50,000 people, and exposing Haitian TPS recipients to deportation is inhumane.

Ending TPS will tear apart families and harm the cities and communities that depend on them.  Mayors and Cities for Action will continue to advocate for a permanent solution to protect TPS recipients. We encourage people to make their voices heard on TPS by calling the Department of Homeland Security and the White House, as well as their representatives in Congress.