City of Madison Joins 73 Cities and Counties to Take Legal Action in Support of Immigration Reforms – Cities For Immigration Action Sign On To Brief In Texas vs. United States Appeal; Urging Immediate Implementation of President Obama’s Immigration Reforms.
73 Cities & Counties Signed On From 27 States, Representing 43 Million People Nationwide
As part of Cities United for Immigration Action, Mayor Paul Soglin announced that the City of Madison has joined
73 cities and counties to file a new friend-of-the-court brief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Texas vs.
United States lawsuit, urging immediate implementation of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.
The brief demonstrates robust support from the country’s largest cities – as well as its suburbs and rural areas – for
the President’s reforms, which will provide temporary relief from deportation to immigrants with longstanding ties to
the U.S. who pass a background check and meet other criteria.The cities and counties – representing 43 million people across the country – argue that the district court judge who
temporarily blocked implementation of the programs failed to consider the significant harms to America’s local
governments caused by this delay. The brief more than doubles the number of local governments that had previously
voiced opposition to the lawsuit brought by states seeking to block President Obama’s immigration reform efforts.
“I proudly stand with my fellow Mayors throughout the country in support of President Obama’s executive actions on
immigration that promote family stability, economic growth, and community cohesiveness,” said Mayor Soglin.“Every President since President Eisenhower has used executive authority to provide temporary immigration relief
and in fact, there have been 37 instances of Presidents using executive authority since 1956. That action has come
under both Republican and Democratic administrations so this is not, and should not be, a partisan issue. This is a
human rights issue.”As part of Cities United for Immigration Action, more than 70 cities and counties, the National League of Cities, and
the U.S. Conference of Mayors argue that the national public interest is served clearly and overwhelmingly by
implementing immigration relief by executive action without delay. The brief also argues that the District Court
judge’s decision to block executive action with a preliminary injunction is bad for the economy, hurts families,
threatens law enforcement priorities, and will stall desperately needed changes to the federal government’s
immigration policies.The brief demonstrates to the Court that executive action will benefit cities and counties by providing work
authorization to millions, increasing local tax revenue, stimulating local economies, facilitating the civic engagement
of immigrants, keeping families together, and improving public safety by strengthening our neighborhoods and
communities.In addition, the brief argues that delay in implementation of the President’s executive action has significant costs for
local economies and immigrant families. The delay in implementation has forced mixed-status families (a number
which is estimated to be in the millions) to continue to live in ongoing fear of deportation and separation, a situation
that has profound emotional, educational, and health impacts on children.
