Earlier this month, twelve states joined forces to file an amicus curiae in support of President Obama’s immigration executive overreach.
Now, a group of mayors are organizing their own campaign to support the president’s executive overreach.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Los Angeles’s Eric Garcetti are leading a group of more than 30 big city mayors, the National League of Cities, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, who plan to file a similar amicus brief on behalf of the president. Like the states supporting the president via amici in Texas v. United States, the mayoral amicus brief states that, “public interest across the country is served clearly and overwhelmingly by implementing immigration reform by executive action,” according to a statement released from de Blasio’s office.
“Our mission is urgent. Delaying implementation of the President’s executive action will further hurt our families, negatively impact our economies, and create unnecessary insecurity in our communities,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Cities are where immigrants live, and cities are where the President’s executive action will be successfully executed. We are organized, and we will fight for the changes this nation needs and deserves, and fight those who oppose immigration reform, be it in the courtroom, in Congress, or in our communities. Our voices will be heard.”
Participating mayors include those from Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, Chicago, Denver, Newark, Philadelphia, and Houston.
Houston’s Annise Parker is the only Texas mayor currently supporting the initiative.
Mayoral quotes cited in a statement were full of empty rhetoric and tired buzz words:
“Filing an Amicus Brief is our way of saying: Pittsburgh stands on the right side of history.” – Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto
“We need to support his efforts to address our broken immigration system.” – Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker
“This order will strengthen our commitment to inclusion by allowing all residents to fully participate and help grow the economic vitality of the region.” – Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley
In a statement having absolutely nothing to do with Obama’s executive overreach, St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay said:
“Right now, our immigration system invites the best and brightest from all over the world to come and study at our top universities, including Washington University and St. Louis University, and then once they’ve gotten the training they need to build a new invention or create a new business, our system too often tells them to go back home so that other countries can reap the benefits, the new jobs, the new businesses, the new industries. It’s evidence of the broken system we have today and why we must fight to fix it.”
The case is sadly symbolic of the current state of political affairs. While liberals argue Obama’s executive overreach was for the betterment of public interest, the complaint filed by Texas and others alleges the president abused his executive powers; it’s welfare v. Constitutional limitations.
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