The labor federation and unions argued that stripping valued union members of their work authorization will cause tremendous harm to workers, workplaces and the economy
(Washington, D.C.)—The AFL-CIO and a coalition of unions representing workers in the manufacturing, hospitality, construction, food processing, and service industries today filed an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to deny the Trump administration’s attempt to end humanitarian parole and rescind work authorization for immigrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The brief is co-authored by the AFL-CIO, Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the United Auto Workers (UAW), UNITE HERE, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), the International Union of Electrical Workers/Communications Workers of America (IUE-CWA), and the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC).
“[We] believe that, if allowed to take effect, this would be by far the largest single-day revocation of work authorization in our Nation’s history—one that DHS initiated with effectively no notice to employers or the U.S. workers who would be impacted,” the amicus brief states. “[We] submit this brief to highlight the unprecedented disruption that such an immediate, blanket revocation of parole status would wreak on the U.S. workforce.”
In the brief, unions contend that the Trump administration’s effort to abruptly end humanitarian parole for more than 500,000 immigrants—all of whom are here legally, and many of whom are union members—is not only cruel and inhumane to them, but would generate chaos in workplaces. The loss of these immigrant workers would condemn their remaining co-workers to punishing work conditions, including excessively long shifts and safety hazards. It also would put the companies where they work at risk of no longer being able to meet consumer demand due to the sudden reduction in their staffing. This move would also exacerbate worker shortages affecting many industries, especially manufacturing and food processing—the latter of which could be slowed down to the level of the COVID-19 pandemic if the Trump administration abruptly deports these skilled workers.
“The Trump administration’s attack against Cuban, Haitian, Nicaraguan, and Venezuelan immigrants who are here legally on humanitarian parole is an attack on all working people,” said Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO. “Our immigrant brothers, sisters and siblings from these nations came to the United States to flee danger at home, and while here have been legally working and contributing to our economy while supporting their families. Ripping them away from their families and homes is a grave injustice that will have harmful ripple effects across our workplaces, our industries, and our economy. We are proud to file this amicus brief alongside our affiliated unions representing workers in key American industries, including those like food processing and manufacturing that cannot function without the work of these immigrants. We call on the Supreme Court to reject the Trump administration’s effort to deport these valued members of our workplaces and communities.”
The AFL-CIO filed this amicus brief as part of its broader work pushing back against the Trump administration’s attacks on immigrant workers. The federation and several national and international unions recently called on the Salvadoran government to release unlawfully deported union member Kilmar Abrego Garcia from detention.
The amicus brief can be found online here.
Contact: Prerna Jagadeesh, 202-637-5018