More than 70 cities and counties nationwide have signed a legal brief pressing for President Obama’s immigration executive action to move forward.
The Justice Department filed an appeal of a decision by a Texas district judge in mid-February that would prevent Obama’s executive action — which would shield as many as 5 million illegal immigrants from deportation — from going into effect.
The friend-of-the-court brief, signed Monday and introduced into the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Texas vs. United States lawsuit, was spearheaded by two Democrats — New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti — as part of Cities United for Immigration Action.
“Continuing to delay implementation of the president’s executive action on immigration hurts our economy and puts families at risk,” de Blasio said.
“Cities are where immigrants live, and cities are where the president’s executive action will be successfully implemented,” he continued. “Our cities are united, and we will fight for the immigration reform this nation needs and deserves — whether in the courtroom, in Congress, or in our communities. Make no mistake about it: Our voices will be heard.”
Other major city leaders who signed the brief include Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh — all Democrats.
Seventy-three cites and counties in total signed onto the brief from 27 states, as well as the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Below is the list of cities and counties officially part of the brief:
Alexandria, Va.
Allentown, Pa.
Atlanta
Austin, Texas
Baltimore
Bell, Calif.
Boston
Bridgeport, Conn,
Buffalo
Cambridge, Mass.
Central Falls, R.I.
Chapel Hill, N.C.
Charleston, S.C.
Chicago
Coconino County, Ariz.
Columbia, S.C.
Columbus, Ohio
Dallas County, Texas
Dayton, Ohio
Denver
Dolton, Ill.
El Paso County, Texas
Everett, Mass.
Gary, Ind.
Haledon, N.J.
Hartford, Conn.
Highland Park, Ill.
Hoboken, N.J.
Holyoke, Mass.
Houston
Jersey City, N.J.
Kansas City, Mo.
Little Rock, Ark.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles County, Calif.
Lucas County, Ohio
Madison, Wis.
Milwaukee
Minneapolis
Montgomery County, Md.
Newark, N.J.
New York
Niagara Falls, N.Y.
North Miami, Fla.
Oakland, Calif.
Paterson, N.J.
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Plainfield, N.J.
Portland, Ore.
Providence, R.I.
Racine, Wis.
Ramsey County, Minn.
Rochester, N.Y.
Salt Lake City
San Francisco
San Jose, Calif.
Santa Ana, Calif.
Santa Cruz County, Ariz.
Santa Fe, N.M.
Santa Monica, Calif.
Schenectady, N.Y.
Seattle
Skokie, Ill.
St. Louis
State College, Pa.
Syracuse, N.Y.
Tacoma, Wash.
Tampa, Fla.
Travis County, Texas
Washington, D.C.
West Covina, Calif.
Yonkers, N.Y.
National League of Cities
U.S. Conference of Mayors
