Calling for Immigration Modernization Now
Adopted at the Winter Leadership Meeting: Executive Committee in 2026
WHEREAS, The United States Conference of Mayors has long recognized that our cities and our nation have been built, strengthened, and sustained by immigrants; that our cities are inclusive, multicultural centers reflecting core American values that foster economic prosperity and opportunity; and that our diversity and inclusion keep us competitive and strong; and
WHEREAS, 40 years have passed since the last time the nation’s immigration system was reformed, when the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 was passed by Congress and signed by then President Ronald Reagan, and that this system is badly out of date, has not been responsive to the nation’s immigration system needs for many years, and must be reformed; and
WHEREAS, the ineffectiveness of our current immigration system has contributed significantly to the immigration related challenges we face in the nation today,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that The United States Conference of Mayors calls on Congress and the Administration to begin a bipartisan effort, as Congress is currently doing through the bipartisan Dignity Act, with input from state and local leaders, to fix our broken immigration system; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in so doing Congress and the Administration adhere to the immigration reform principles that the Conference has adopted over the years and which we reaffirm here, including:
- Enacting legislation that sustains genuine border security, supports federal immigration enforcement, and keeps our cities safe by ensuring state and local law enforcement remains focused on community policing and not on enforcing federal immigration laws;
- Reforming the visa system to establish an efficient, less bureaucratic, expedient, and more time-sensitive system with adequate labor protections that allows workers of all types – highly skilled to unskilled – to lawfully come to the United States, either temporarily or permanently, and contribute to our economy and ensures equitable treatment for all applicants, regardless of nationality, ethnicity, race or religion;
- Modernizing the visa bureaucracy by replacing antiquated, paper-based systems with an efficient, timesensitive digital framework that allows workers of all skill levels to contribute to the economy without years of unnecessary delay;
- Providing an employment verification system that is enforceable, uniform, accurate, and timely;
- Enabling people who have been in the country for 10 years or more and are leading lawful productive lives to come out of the shadows along with those who are actively pursuing American citizenship and legal status so that they will not face deportation and they and their families can remain in and contribute to their communities;
- Providing Dreamers a pathway to lawful permanent residence status and eventually citizenship;
- Creating a dedicated visa category for law-abiding, enterprising individuals who invest in our cities and their small business districts; and
- Rebuilding and strengthening the United States Refugee Admissions Program, restarting the asylum system so that asylum is accessible to those seeking refuge, and extending Temporary Protected Status for people in the U.S. whose designations were terminated in the last year or who currently have that status and who would have a credible fear of persecution if they are forced to return to their home countries.