Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. (Denver Post file)
The city of Denver on Monday said it signed on to a court brief by dozens of cities and counties in support of President Barack Obama’s immigration executive action.
A federal judge in February issued a preliminary injunction barring the government from carrying out Obama’s executive order, which could spare up to 5 million people from deportation for living in the United States illegally. The ruling came in a case brought by Texas and 25 other states that challenges Obama’s move as unconstitutional.
The Justice Department during a hearing April 17. Denver, a member of Cities United for Immigration Action, is joining a friend-of-the-court brief in support of that argument.
It has been signed by 71 cities and counties as well as the National League of Cities and the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
While Texas and the other plaintiff states argue they could suffer economic harm if the court allows Obama’s executive action to take effect, the mayors of Denver and the other cities, , say they would benefit from the reforms.
The changes approved by Obama “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,” says a news release issued by the Denver mayor’s office and the other cities Monday.
“I add my voice to the chorus of mayors in cities large and small who say the safety, health and well-being of our economies and our neighborhoods require that hundreds of thousands of families be allowed to emerge from the shadows and help us build stronger communities,” Hancock said in the release.
