The mayor of Boise, Idaho, says it's up to his fellow mayors to fight for their citizens—all of their citizens. Here's Mayor Dave Bieter's open letter to his colleagues and to Donald Trump:

When it comes to immigration and refugees, presidents and Congress get to say, but mayors have to do.

I’m the mayor of Boise, where immigrants have played a significant role since before Idaho’s statehood. That role has had a major impact on the success of this city and state. President-elect Donald Trump and Congress should keep Boise’s experience and the experience of many cities in the United States in mind when addressing immigration and refugee issues. […]

Thousands of Latino immigrants have pursued similar paths through hard, unpopular work on the road to better lives in the Boise Valley. Like Basque immigrants to Idaho, Latinos haven’t always faced an easy road. As late as the 1950s, signs posted outside some doors in the area warned “Mexicans, Negroes, Jews, Indians and dogs” to stay out.

Again, fortunately, most Idahoans ignored that. The Latino contribution to our lives is unmistakable. Without them, many of Idaho’s most important industries would have collapsed long ago. And so it is today with refugees. Boise is home to Bosnians, Somalis, Iraqis and Syrians. Our city government reaches out through nearly all departments — police to ensure refugees know they are safe; parks and recreation programs help refugee children enjoy our outdoors, like all our children do; library programs help with access to computers and other learning tools; our arts and history programs help with cultural activities.

We offer these same programs to all Boiseans. We don’t debate about who is more worthy or where they’re from. We are a welcoming city. We all have work to do. […]

Trump has promised to make America great again, but we in Boise know that greatness comes from everywhere.

Words of wisdom and hope from a blue island in a red state. You can bet Mayor Bieter and the people of Boise will step up to keep our community safe from Trump.