On the bipartisan House passage of H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement:
America’s unions laud House passage of the American Dream and Promise Act, and urge lawmakers to use it as a catalyst for broader immigration reforms that are long overdue. The Senate must now step up and take action to provide a well-earned path to citizenship to working people who help to build, feed, serve, educate and care for our nation.
Throughout the country, working people of all backgrounds are organizing and winning. We will continue to mobilize to support legislation like the Dream and Promise Act that uplifts workers’ rights and protects our right to organize. Enacting a path to permanence for vital members of our families, our communities and our unions will help to raise wages and labor standards in our country and spur a more just recovery.
Reforming our unjust immigration system is a core part of our Workers First Agenda, and unions also renew our call for the administration to use all possible means to reduce the fear in our workplaces and communities. As an immediate step, we urge the Department of Homeland Security to halt deportation flights and issue temporary protected status designations for countries destabilized by disasters and strife, including Haiti, Cameroon, Mauritania and the hurricane-affected countries of Central America.
Contact: Gonzalo Salvador (202) 637-5018