EL PASO, Texas, July 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Today a bipartisan
delegation from the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) was in
El Paso, Texas for a first-hand
look at the continuing situation at the southern border. Led by
USCM President, Rochester Hills (MI) Mayor Bryan Barnett, the delegation met with Acting
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan
and officials from U.S. Customs and Border Protection for a
90-minute roundtable discussion of current border issues. The
mayors also toured CBP facilities in which newly-arrived migrants
are being processed and housed. The delegation also toured the
commercial and passenger vehicle processing facilities at
El Paso's Bridge of the Americas,
and was briefed on operations by CBP officials.
The visit to El Paso
underscored the frontline role that cities are playing as this
humanitarian crisis unfolds. The mayors also held a news conference
after touring facilities, and the video can be
found here.
Following the events, U.S. Conference of Mayors
President Bryan Barnett, Mayor
of Rochester Hills (MI) said, "We're grateful to the Acting
Secretary for meeting today, allowing us to view these facilities,
and responding to our questions. Cities were among the first to
feel the impact of this crisis, and local communities have made
extraordinary efforts to alleviate the human suffering. We're
pleased that Congress recently provided some emergency funding, but
it's clear that more must be done to meet the needs at the border.
We cannot allow partisanship to get in the way of solving this
crisis."
"This isn't some far-off problem for us,"
said El Paso (TX) Mayor
Dee Margo. "It's real, and it's
right here. We are all affected by what happens at the border. I'm
pleased that Acting Secretary McAleenan was here today to provide
an update and address our community's concerns. In the end, all of
this is a short-term solution, and ultimately we need Congress to
revamp our entire immigration system."
"I appreciate the progress we have made so far, but we do need
to continue to work with the federal government to solve the crisis
at our border," said Mesa (AZ) Mayor John Giles, who serves as co-chair of USCM's
Immigration Reform Task Force. "We had a frank and candid
discussion with Acting Secretary McAleenan about the realities that
border cities face each day and the need for the federal government
to find solutions that prioritize the health and well-being of
asylum seekers without draining community resources."
About The United States Conference of Mayors
-- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official
nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or
more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and
each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected
official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook
at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on
Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.
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SOURCE U.S. Conference of Mayors