Tampa and North Miami Join 73 Cities & Counties in Support of Executive Action on Immigration

MIAMI – Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and North Miami Mayor Dr. Smith Joseph announced that their cities will join 73 cities and counties, as part of Cities United for Immigration Action, to file a new friend-of-the-court brief (also known as Amicus 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. Tampa and North Miami became the first cities in Florida to take legal action in support of Administrative Relief for undocumented immigrants, which could benefit nearly 253,000 Floridians. Others are expected to follow.

The brief demonstrates robust support from the country’s largest cities – as well as its suburbs and rural areas – for the President’s executive action on immigration, which will provide temporary relief from deportation to approximately 5 million 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, and that his 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.

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“We commend the Mayors from Tampa and North Miami for taking this step in favor of our families, workers and economy; more cities and counties should make similar statements,” says Maria Rodriguez, Executive Director for the Florida Immigrant Coalition. “Why would  Attorney General Pam Bondi go out of her way, with our taxdollars, to add Florida to this lawsuit? This temporary relief from deportation for parents of U.S. citizens represents a life-changing measure for tens of thousands of Floridian families. To stop this relief is hurtful to not only our families, but to our pocketbook. We urge her to reconsider her position and withdraw from the lawsuit for the well-being of Florida’s families and economy.”

This is not the first time Florida’s elected officials express support for Executive Action on immigration. Senator Darren Soto (D-Orlando) was one of the first state legislators to openly oppose Bondi’s decision to have Florida join the lawsuit. Just last week he introduced an amendment blocking the use of our state’s resources to defend the lawsuit, which received votes from Senators from both parties.

In addition, there is a growing petition where over 1,300 Floridians demand that AG Bondi withdraws Florida from the lawsuit.

The Florida Immigrant Coalition also joined more than 150 civil, labor and immigrant rights organizations in support of the Deferred Action programs created by President Obama’s Executive Action on immigration. This second brief features profiles of small business owners, primary breadwinners, and social activists who would be able to increase their economic and societal contributions if granted the relief proposed by DACA and DAPA.

List of cities and counties
Alexandria, VA
Allentown, PA
Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Baltimore, MD
Bell, CA
Boston, MA
Bridgeport, CT
Buffalo, NY
Cambridge, MA
Central Falls, RI
Chapel Hill, NC
Charleston, SC
Chicago, IL
Coconino County, AZ
Columbia, SC
Columbus, OH
Dallas County, TX
Dayton, OH
Denver, CO
Dolton, IL
El Paso County, TX
Everett, MA
Gary, IN
Haledon, NJ
Hartford, CT
Highland Park, IL
Hoboken, NJ
Holyoke, MA
Houston, TX
Jersey City, NJ
Kansas City, MO
Little Rock, AR
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County, CA
Lucas County, OH
Madison, WI
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis, MN
Montgomery County, MD
Newark, NJ
New York, NY
Niagara Falls, NY
North Miami, FL
Oakland, CA
Paterson, NJ
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Plainfield, NJ
Portland, OR
Providence, RI
Racine, WI
Ramsey County, MN
Rochester, NY
Salt Lake City, UT
San Francisco, CA
San Jose, CA
Santa Ana, CA
Santa Cruz County, AZ
Santa Fe, NM
Santa Monica, CA
Schenectady, NY
Seattle, WA
Skokie, IL
St. Louis, MO
State College, PA
Syracuse, NY
Tacoma, WA
Tampa, FL
Travis County, TX
Washington, D.C.
West Covina, CA
Yonkers, NY
National League of Cities
U.S. Conference of Mayors