On first day of DNC, de Blasio revives push for municipality-led immigration reform

With his national agenda stalling, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke out on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in support of his recommendation that municipalities band together to reform immigration policies, with the ultimate goal of pressuring action from state and federal governments.

De Blasio rehashed the strategy Monday while speaking at an immigration forum at the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia as Democrats from across the country poured into town. He sat beside his counterparts from other cities, including Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, as well as immigrant rights leaders such as Voto Latino President Maria Teresa Kumar and David Lubell, founder of Welcoming America.

“On the best practice question, there’s plenty of great models,” de Blasio said. “But if you link together a lot of cities and towns, if not an effective majority, you certainly have an emerging majority, and that will eventually bubble up to Washington.”

De Blasio launched Cities United for Immigration Action in December 2014 with the goal of collaborating with his counterparts across the country in implementing the president’s executive actions on immigration and pushing for wholesale reform. The group filed related amicus briefs in federal court and held a conference on best practices for municipal ID programs.

But by last May, the mayor unveiled another strategy of attack. He published The Progressive Agenda to Combat Income Inequality, a liberal platform drafted in the spirit of former Republican House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America,” and started a nonprofit to support it. De Blasio’s national foray grew contentious when he declined to endorse former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as the Democratic presidential nominee while attempting to use his group to prod candidates to the left. A debate the Progressive Agenda was hoping to host in Iowa never materialized. The nonprofit lost its staff, halted its programs and stopped fundraising. It has not, however, announced plans to disband.

Now that the presidential election is on the horizon, de Blasio struck a more positive note. Citing Pope Francis’ efforts to recast immigrants as vulnerable people in need of support, de Blasio said faith leaders have joined a broad coalition of those pushing for immigration reform, including business leaders, who see the economic benefits of immigration, and law enforcement officials, who understand people will be more willing to cooperate with police if they’re not afraid of deportation. De Blasio said relying on these constituencies could prove crucial in a time of federal paralysis and resistance from state governments.

“We’ve seen this at a state level – in many, many states – state governments that are very resistant to their cities, and very resistant to progressive change,” de Blasio said. “We’re not powerless as a result. It doesn't mean go home. It means do things at home, and tie them together with what other cities and towns and counties are doing … It sends a wakeup call to your state government, and hopefully, your federal government, that this is actually what most Americans are comfortable with.”