Mesa Mayor John Giles will travel to Washington D.C. Jan. 17-19 to participate in the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Mayor Giles, who is Chairman of the Conference's Immigration Reform Task Force, will be guiding bipartisan discussions among mayors from across the country whose communities have been disproportionately impacted by the unprecedented influx of migrants at our Southern border.
Mayor Giles will convene mayors from across the country to hear about experiences in their cities and discuss areas of need and immigration solutions. The purpose of the meetings is to demonstrate the urgency of the immigration crisis and show that it has extended far beyond border cities and border states.
"This is an extraordinarily complicated issue, and no one person or policy is to blame. It's important that discussions on immigration are approached with a bipartisan spirit and bipartisan solutions, and that's our intention," the Mayor said. "I'm genuinely concerned about our cities' collective abilities to keep pace with the migration influx and the subsequent impacts on our local first responders, nonprofits, religious groups, and community volunteers. They are overburdened, and they need our help now."
Many migrants are fleeing their homes due to poor economic conditions, natural disasters, and violence. Asylum-seekers who arrive in the U.S. must contend with an overburdened immigration court system, and those seeking work are subject to delays and fewer work authorizations. The result has been thousands of migrants in limbo, unable to work, staying in shelters and government facilities.
"The whole situation is very inhumane. Many who come here do so with a false sense of hope," he said. "The truth is, we are overwhelmed.
"I look forward to continuing our work with fellow mayors, our congressional delegation, and federal officials to urge bipartisan solutions to this growing crisis," Mayor Giles continued.
While at the Conference, Mayor Giles will participate in a panel highlighting Mesa's Electric Mobility Charging Hub Network, which recently received one of the largest federal grants in the country to expand the availability of electric charging stations throughout the community. In his capacity as co-chair, Mayor Giles will also convene the Mayors and CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment, and he will be recognized for his service as Chair of the Mayor's Alliance to End Childhood Hunger.