A total of 43 mayors have called on the Biden administration and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to extend work permits for migrants further.
They argue that without the measure, thousands will be left jobless, businesses will be short-staffed, and shelter space will become difficult to find, VisaGuide.World reports.
In the letter addressed to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ur Jaddou, the 43 mayors asked them to issue an automatic extension of work authorization for at least 540 days.
Cities and counties have made it clear that asylum seekers and immigrants need work permits, and we are frustrated that our communities’ immigrants may soon lose their work authorization due to processing delays and the federal government’s inaction.
It emphasizes that as a result, cities and counties will soon be subject to even more significant challenges if they lose their jobs, driver’s licences, and access to healthcare and housing, according to UPI news.
Therefore, the mayors called on the Biden administration and DHS to take their needs into account and ensure that such a thing does not happen.
As a result of long processing delays, in 2022, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services extended the 180-day grace period for which work permits remain vailed amid the renewal process to a total of 540 days.
However, the extension period expired on October 26, thus reverting the grace period to 180 days. Therefore, the mayors have called on the government to extend it again to more than 17 months.
The mayors said that hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers will lose their work permits, businesses will lose staff, “and our cities and counties will face an increasing challenge to provide shelter to the public.”
It further notes that there were about 263,000 Employment Authorisation Document renewal applications pending in June. It means that without the 540-day extension, hundreds of thousands of immigrants may be ineligible to work in the following months.
Among the signatories of the letter were also New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
New York City thrives on the diverse and dedicated contributions of these community members, and stripping people of their right to work is simply un-American.
He expressed his hopes that the federal government act swiftly in order to protect the stability and security of hundreds of thousands of immigrant workers as well as their families.