Mayors from across the country are in D.C. this week at the annual U.S. Conference of Mayors to discuss concerns and meet with federal leaders.
At the conference on Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke, and mayors discussed their immigration concerns.
“And we're committed to working with you, to create and execute solutions that can actually make a difference in your communities. So, public health, climate, supply chains, the future of technology, economic security. These are the issues that our diplomats, your diplomats are working on, day in and day out,” Blinken said.
Blinken did not mention immigration in his speech, but Miami Mayor Francis Suarez told reporters the mayors brought the issue up with him.
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“A lot of us expressed our concerns about the migration crisis, how that is affecting a tremendous amount of American cities,” Suarez said.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and other mayors are set to meet with President Joe Biden on Friday. Bowser told reporters she will bring up immigration but does not know what the format of the meeting will be.
“We have been very clear, that we think that the federal government needs to be a part of how people are moving around the country. It shouldn’t be ad hoc governors making decisions about how to move people in very unpredictable ways and sometimes inhumane ways,” Bowser said.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is leading the mayor’s efforts on immigration.
“What we have is a situation of an antiquated system that is buckling under the changes in migration, and Congress surely sees that. My fear is that the political benefits of pointing at the problem, exceed the benefits of actually solving the problem,” Gloria said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who visited the El Paso border this weekend, will address the mayors conference later this week as part of a discussion on immigration issues.
While immigration is a hot topic at the conference, Reno Nevada Mayor Hillary Schieve said it was not the only issue. Public safety and rebuilding after the pandemic were also common issues brought up by the mayors.
“Mental illness and addiction, I think it’s the number one issue in every city, and if it isn’t, every mayor should make it their top priority,” Schieve said.
