AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler released the following statement in response to the Biden–Harris administration’s announcement expanding the rights and opportunities for spouses of U.S. citizens and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients:
The AFL-CIO lauds President Biden’s action to remove barriers to citizenship and good jobs for long-term members of our workforce, our communities, and our unions. Immigrant rights are workers’ rights, and any policies that strengthen protections for immigrants are key to our efforts to build worker power and lift standards in our industries.
Until all workers, regardless of immigration status, have equal and enforceable rights in this country, employers will continue to underpay, mistreat, and misclassify the hardworking immigrants who help keep our economy running. In the face of decades of shameful congressional inaction, the Biden administration has taken a sensible and much-needed step forward today. By expanding the rights and opportunities for hundreds of thousands of working families, the president’s actions will reduce exploitation and help make jobs safer for all of us.
Wealthy special interests continue to try to villainize and dehumanize immigrants, but working people know the real threat we face is from greedy and abusive bosses, not our fellow workers. Any attack on immigrants is an attack on workers and our unions. Standing together as an inclusive, united labor movement is the way we hold employers accountable and win good jobs for all.
While we keep up the fight for a broad path to citizenship for all those who live and work here, we will continue to urge the Biden administration to use all available tools to protect immigrant workers and promote fairness in workplaces around the country.
Contact: Riley Lopez, 202-637-5018