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60 Law Enforcement Leaders Support Bipartisan Solution for Dreamers

Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force   Sign-On Letters

October 2, 2017

 

Dear Member of Congress:

As law enforcement leaders who support commonsense immigration reforms to ensure the protection of our communities, we write to express our support for a bipartisan legislative solution to allow Dreamers – young people brought to the United States as children – to remain in the United States and continue contributing to our communities and our nation. With the announcement of the end of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), we believe it is essential for Congress to work across party lines to find a solution to protect these young people.

Our support for a legislative solution for Dreamers is consistent with our longstanding support for bipartisan reform of our immigration system. We support measures allowing law-abiding people to feel safe and secure in their communities, which reinforce trust and cooperation with state and local law enforcement. Beyond the significant contributions Dreamers make to our communities, we are concerned that, absent action by Congress, the Dreamer population will be driven back into the shadows and be hesitant to report crimes or cooperate with investigations. Such an outcome would risk undermining community safety. When Dreamers, and all immigrants, feel safe engaging with local police, all of our communities are safer.

We have seen members of Congress from both sides of the aisle express support for young people who will be affected by the end of DACA, which suggests that there is significant bipartisan support for a legislation solution. These statements are encouraging, suggesting that Congress has the opportunity to move forward constructively on immigration. We have also been encouraged by President Trump’s comments in support of a legislative solution to protect Dreamers. It is our hope that Congress move expeditiously to enact legislation to protect Dreamers. In addition, we hope that such bipartisan action on Dreamers can pave the way for additional bipartisan legislation to broadly fix other aspects of our immigration system, including proposals to secure our borders, reform outdated visa programs, and to provide otherwise law-abiding immigrants with avenues to achieve earned legalization.

As law enforcement leaders, we urge Congress to work on a bipartisan basis to find a solution to protect Dreamers and keep them in the U.S. We believe such bipartisan cooperation could pave the way for additional, future work aimed toward fixing our broken immigration system. We urge Congress to pass a solution to help the Dreamers and pursue reforms that allow law enforcement agencies to build community trust and protect public safety.

 

Sincerely,

 

Chief Art Acevedo, LEITF Co-Chair Houston, TX

Chief J. Thomas Manger, LEITF Co-Chair Montgomery County, MD

Retired Chief James Lopez, LEITF Co-Chair Los Angeles County, CA

Sheriff Tony Estrada Santa Cruz County, AZ

Chief Chris Magnus Tucson, AZ

Chief Ramon Batista Mesa, AZ

Chief Mike Soelberg Gilbert, AZ

Chief Roy Minter Peoria, AZ

Chief Sylvia Moir Tempe, AZ

Retired Chief Roberto Villasenor Tucson, AZ

Chief Steve Stahl Maricopa, AZ

Sheriff Margaret Mims Fresno County, CA

Chief Charlie Beck Los Angeles, CA

Chief Matt Basgall Clovis, CA

Sheriff Joseph Pelle Boulder, CO

Sheriff Joe DiSalvo Pitkin County, CO

Chief Peter Newsham Washington DC, DC

Sheriff Mike Chitwood Volusia County, FL

Chief John Mina Orlando, FL

Sheriff Paul Fitzgerald Story County, IA

Sheriff Bill McCarthy Polk County, IA

Director of Public Safety Mark Prosser Storm Lake, IA

Chief Mike Tupper Marshalltown, IA

Sheriff Lonny Pulkrabek Johnson County, IA

Chief Wayne Jerman Cedar Rapids, IA

Chief William Bones Boise, ID

Sheriff Mark Curran Lake County, IL

Sr. Vice President Michael Masters, The Soufan Group Chicago, IL

Retired Chief Ron Teachman South Bend, IN

Retired Chief James Hawkins Garden City, KS

Colonel Jose H. Salcido Wichita, KS

Commissioner William Evans Boston, MA

Sheriff Peter Koutoujian Middlesex County, MA

Chief Brian Kyes Chelsea, MA

Chief David Fallon Somerville, MA

Chief Ken Ferguson Framingham, MA

Chief Ron Haddad Dearborn, MI

Chief Todd Axtell Saint Paul, MN

Sheriff Eli Rivera Cheshire County, NH

Chief Richard Biehl Dayton, OH

Chief Cel Rivera Lorain, OH

Commissioner Richard Ross Philadelphia, PA

Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare Providence, RI

Chief William Holbrook Columbia, SC

Sheriff Leon Lott Richland County, SC

Chief David Roddy Chattanooga, TN

Retired Chief Fred Fletcher Chattanooga, TN

Chief Brian Manley Austin, TX

Sheriff Lupe Valdez Dallas County, TX

Sheriff Sally Hernandez Travis County, TX

Sheriff Edward Gonzalez Harris County, TX

Chief Jeffry Adickes Harlingen, TX

Chief Mike Brown Salt Lake City, UT

Retired Chief Chris Burbank Salt Lake City, UT

Sheriff John Urquhart King County, WA

Deputy Chief Carmen Best Seattle, WA

Chief Kathleen O’Toole Seattle, WA

Asst. Chief Randy Gaber Madison, WI

Chief Michael Koval Madison, WI

Executive Director Chuck Wexler Police Executive Research Forum

 

 

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