NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana – In an open letter to President Barack Obama, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and 30 other “sanctuary city” leaders across the country asked for further protections for illegal immigrants before President-Elect Donald Trump takes office.
Pro-illegal immigration advocates with the Cities for Action organization helped orchestrate the letter demanding more sanctuary city-like policies for migrants, with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney also signing off on the missive, according to the Observer.
One of the focal points of the letter is a request for Obama to give an extension to the some 740,000 illegal immigrants enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, a program which could be reversed under Trump.
“DACA has tremendously benefitted our communities by helping our residents thrive and contribute in myriad ways,” the immigration advocates write in the letter to Obama. “We call upon your administration to accept early renewal applications for current DACA holders to extend temporary protections for them. In addition, we urge USCIS to commit to speedy processing of initial and renewal applications.”
The letter also asked that the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program be taken advantage of to include other regions like Haiti and Ecuador, which would protect illegal immigrants from those countries from being deported because their homes would be deemed unsafe. full story
