Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed has joined a coalition of more than 30 mayors supporting President Barack Obama’s plan to prevent the deportation of millions of immigrants living illegally in the U.S.
The mayors want to help the president’s plan work in their cities while pushing Congress to pass long-sought immigration overhaul legislation. On Monday, Reed traveled to a one-day summit in New York City, where the mayors were to receive a briefing from White House officials about the president’s executive actions.
The move puts Reed — the Democratic mayor of Georgia’s largest city — at odds with his state’s Republican political leadership. Gov. Nathan Deal, who has worked closely with Reed on other issues, has criticized Obama’s actions. And last week, Georgia joined many other states in suing in federal court to block the president’s plan, calling it unconstitutional.
In a telephone interview as he traveled to meet New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Reed highlighted Georgia’s rapidly growing population of immigrants, many of whom have started businesses and created jobs in the state. An estimated 140,000 immigrants living illegally in Georgia could be eligible for relief under the president’s plan, according to a recent report by the Pew Research Center.
“These people are here. And they are going to stay,” Reed said. “The question is: Are we going to ignore them? Are we going to ignore their children so they are not receiving the training and quality of education they need for them to receive so they can be contributing members of our community? Or are we going to be welcoming? Are we going to know who they are, where they are and absorb them into the mainstream of our community and our economy?”
Among the others attending the summit Monday in New York, Reed said, were the mayors of San Francisco, Seattle and Washington. Obama is scheduled to promote his plan Tuesday during a stop in Nashville, Tenn.
Last year, the Democratic-led Senate passed bipartisan legislation that would overhaul the legal immigration system and provide a 13-year pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. House Republican leaders refused to take up the bill, complaining it would reward lawbreakers and invite more illegal immigration. They said they would rather take a piecemeal approach.
Saying he was frustrated with inaction in Congress, Obama announced last month that his administration would act unilaterally and shield up to 5 million immigrants from deportation. One part of his plan would provide temporary deportation deferrals and work permits to people who don’t have legal status in the U.S. but do have children who are U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. His administration is also expanding a program providing temporary reprieves from deportation for immigrants who were illegally brought here as children.
Accusing the president of acting illegally, Republican lawmakers in Washington are threatening to block Obama’s actions. Deal has also raised concerns, saying on the day of the president’s announcement last month that “any time the legislative process is circumvented, we all should have concerns, and this is no exception.”
Last week, Georgia joined 16 other states in filing a federal lawsuit aimed at blocking the president’s plan. In speaking about the suit, Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens, a Republican, said “Obama’s unconstitutional, short-term action only adds to uncertainty faced by those wishing to live in our country.” And in a pre-emptive strike last month, Republican state Sen. Joshua McKoon of Columbus introduced legislation to ban the issuing of Georgia driver’s licenses to immigrants who could receive deportation deferrals under the president’s plan. Similar legislation failed in this year’s legislative session.
Reed said he opposes the measure and Georgia’s decision to join the federal lawsuit. His administration has been reaching out to immigrants in recent months. In September, the mayor announced his administration would create an office of multicultural affairs as part of Atlanta’s efforts to create a welcoming environment for everyone regardless of race, ethnicity or native country. And in May, the mayor sided with a group of 39 plaintiffs who were suing for in-state college tuition for immigrants who were illegally brought to the U.S. as children. The plaintiffs lost their suit in Fulton County Superior Court and are now appealing.
Nearly 8 percent of Atlanta’s population is foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That number is 9.7 percent for Georgia. Between 2000 and 2012, immigrants accounted for nearly two-thirds of Atlanta’s population growth, according to a Partnership for a New American Economy report based on census data. The city’s foreign-born population grew by nearly 22 percent during that time frame, from 27,352 to 33,358. Meanwhile, the native-born population grew by less than 1 percent.
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