As part of Cities United for Immigration Action, Mayor David Maher and City Manager Richard Rossi announced that Cambridge 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 versus United States lawsuit, urging immediate implementation of President Obama’s executive actions on immigration. City Councilor Leland Cheung also sponsored the order.
The brief demonstrates 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.
“Cambridge is home to immigrants from across the world and these residents help make our city the vibrant and diverse community that we are so proud of,” said Maher. “I am pleased to join other mayors and city leaders to urge swift action on immigration reform which will strengthen families, grow our economy, and reward the hard work and determination of those seeking the American dream both in Cambridge and across the country.”
As part of Cities United for Immigration Action, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti led the effort to organize more than 70 cities and counties, the National League of Cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors in arguing 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.
Source: Stoneham
