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 The U.S. Conference of Mayors said at their annual meeting in
Dallas they are asking congressional Democrats and Republicans for
legislation to increase border security and support city and state
governments whose finances are being strained by costs associated to
illegal immigration.
"Forget the D thing. Forget the R thing. This is an American issue,"
said Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait, a Republican and co-chair of the
Immigration Reform Task Force, a bipartisan group within the United
States Conference of Mayors.
Since October, 52,000 unaccompanied children have arrived on the
U.S. border with Mexico, the Department of Homeland Security said on
Friday, underscoring an immigration problem seen by the White House
as a humanitarian crisis.
The White House last week stepped up efforts to slow the flow of
illegal children into the country, expanding the government's
ability to process and deport people and announcing new funding to
boost security in crime-plagued Central American countries.
Republicans blame the influx of children on President Barack Obama's
2012 decision to give temporary relief from deportation to some
young people brought to the United States illegally by their
parents.
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The Obama administration's push for U.S. immigration reform has
stalled in Congress amid partisan bickering.
(Writing by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Paul Simao)
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