Ed Murray among mayors asking Congress and Trump to protect ‘Dreamers’

Mayors from across the country, including Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, are asking Congress and President-elect Donald Trump to protect so-called “Dreamers” — immigrants brought to the United States as children without legal documents .

In Washington, D.C., this week for a U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting, Murray stood with counterparts from cities such as Los Angeles and New York as they announced an emergency resolution on immigration.

The conference’s resolution calls on Congress and Trump to continue programs that give temporary status to Dreamers and to the relatives of people serving in the military.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, created by President Obama in a 2012 executive order, gives Dreamers temporary authorization to live and work here.

Nearly 17,000 DACA Dreamers live in Washington state, and 750,000 nationwide, and Trump has promised to end the program.

Democrats Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles and Jorge Elorza of Providence and Republican Tom Tait of Anaheim joined Murray in sponsoring the resolution.

Since Trump’s election, Murray has vowed Seattle will remain a so-called “sanctuary city” that — unless otherwise required by court order — prohibits police officers from inquiring into a person’s immigration status without reasonable suspicion that the person has been previously deported and has committed a felony.

Trump’s plan for his first 100 days includes canceling all federal funding for so-called sanctuary cities. The likelihood of that happening is another story: The term “sanctuary city” has no definition, and cities can’t be required to enforce federal law themselves.

Earlier this month, Murray provided some details of his post-Trump election plan to spend $250,000 helping immigrant and refugee students and their families.

As part of the plan, the city is hosting an immigrant rights and education event Friday, the day of Trump’s inauguration.