LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angles Mayor Eric Garcetti is scheduled to be out of the state today, when he will travel with a bipartisan delegation of mayors to a federal detention center in Tornillo, Texas, to protest the Trump Administration's recent family separation policy before delivering the keynote address at the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials in Phoenix.
Garcetti's Texas trip is being organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which announced the event before President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he was ending the highly criticized policy of separating children and their parents at the Mexican border when the parents are suspected of entering the country illegally.
Trump's new order requires immigrant families be detained together when they are caught entering the country illegally, although some of the details on how long they could be held were unclear. The order comes after the administration had faced bipartisan pressure to end the separation policy.
Garcetti's office confirmed that the Tornillo event was still proceeding although Trump had announced he was ending the policy.
The 35th annual NALEO conference will take place at the Biltmore Hotel in Phoenix from Thursday through Saturday, with Garcetti set to speak on the opening day.
Following his remarks, Garcetti will join Texas state Senator and former NALEO President Sylvia Garcia, Colorado Speaker of the House Crisanta Duran, former U.S. Representative and former NALEO President Ed Pastor, Florida state Senator Rene Garcia, and Texas conservative business leader and NALEO Educational Fund Executive Director Arturo Vargas for a panel discussion on Latino political participation in the 2018 elections and beyond. The panel will be moderated by Arizona Republic senior reporter Daniel Gonzalez.
On Thursday evening, Garcetti also plans to attend and speak at a fundraiser in support of Greg Stanton for Congress and will attend and speak at an event in support of the Maricopa County Democratic Party. Stanton was mayor of Phoenix until May.
“While Washington sends tweets, mayors pave streets. Electing Greg Stanton to Congress isn't just about flipping the House, it's about sending a mayor to Washington who can teach them something about getting things done,” Garcetti said. “My message to Maricopa County Democrats is that local races and races up and down the ballot are as critical to people's daily lives as House seats, and Democrats cannot afford to write off any campaign.”
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