Nine democratic governors have written a joint letter urging President Joe Biden to address the current state of immigration, which they call “a humanitarian crisis,” The New York Times reports. The governors, led by Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, asked in a letter to the White House and Congress for “a serious commitment” to overhauling the immigration system. “It is clear our national immigration system is outdated and unprepared to respond to this unprecedented global migration,” reads the letter, which is signed by Hochul and the governors of Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, New Mexico, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Maryland.
Last year, President Biden proposed a $106 billion package that included aid to states and localities as well as more funding for border security and deportations. But like so many other immigration-related proposals, his effort didn’t get the bipartisan support necessary to pass a divided Congress. And while the Democrats said in their letter that the Biden administration has made “important progress” on the issue, they emphasize a dire need for federal assistance. “With ongoing conflicts around the world, global migration is at a historic high,” the letter reads. “States and cities cannot indefinitely respond to the subsequent strain on state and local resources without congressional action.”