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.
“We now ask that your administration continues this urgent form of humanitarian protection by reviewing the current TPS designations and extending such designations or making re-designations or new designations as appropriate before the end of your term,” the note reads. “In particular, we urge your administration to take steps to protect immigrants from countries that recently experienced extraordinary conditions.”
The letter also thanks Obama for ending the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) program, instituted after the 9/11 New York Islamic terrorist attacks, which tracked immigrants living in the country who had come from regions of the world where terrorism is prevalent.
“We also thank you for listening to concerns from local leaders, among other voices, and taking steps this week to end the failed National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) program,” the letter continued. “This ‘special registration’ program was discriminatory and created great fear and turmoil within our communities, particularly among Muslim immigrants, while not providing any increase in security. A revival of the program would only serve to heighten tensions and increase the risk of bias-based crimes at a time when hate speech and hate crimes are on the rise. For these reasons, we commend your Administration for this move.”
The NSEERS program, though, could be coming back, as Trump’s transition team has told Breitbart News recently that there is “much more to come” on the issue within Trump’s first 100 days in office.
“The national policy team and the incoming cabinet and administration members are spending a lot of time reviewing potential executive order actions, working through a 100-day plan for particular pieces of legislation that will be coming up,” Trump transition team spokesman Jason Miller told Breitbart News at the time.
Following the Berlin terrorist attack where a Tunisian refugee killed 12 while driving a truck through a Christmas market, Trump has doubled-down on his promises to keep foreign terrorists out of the country.
“All along, I’ve been proven to be right,” Trump said after the attack, as Breitbart News reported. “100% correct. What’s happening is disgraceful.”
John Binder is a contributor for Breitbart Texas. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.
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