Immigration
The United States has a rich immigrant history. Immigration continues to be an integral component of the cultural and social fabric that makes up our nation. However, while the U.S. contends to be a nation of immigrants, our current immigration system is creating a crisis for Latino/a/x families. LCLAA works to protect our community from discriminatory policies that continue to risk our health and safety and that limit our ability to prosper economically.
our priorities
Equal Rights on the Job for All: All workers deserve fair and equitable treatment, regardless of their country of origin or immigration status. Current unjust immigration policies have severely stripped the rights of undocumented and guest-workers, leaving them more vulnerable to abuse. Comprehensive immigration reform is needed to level the playing field and uplift standards throughout all fifty states, the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia.
This is why LCLAA calls for the following:
A broad, inclusive, affordable, and swift pathway to citizenship for all workers who allow our country and our territories to proposer
Fundamental reform of abusive work visa programs to ensure that workers, not employers, control their status
Expanded availability of U and T visas to protect workers who experience or report workplace crimes
Bringing domestic and agricultural work under the full protection of our labor and employment laws, including the right to freedom of association and collective bargaining
A clear pathway for DACA recipients to become U.S. citizens
Enforcement that Protects Workers and Their Families: Hard-won laws meant to keep our workplaces safe and fair are only effective when workers are able to enforce them. Our government spends twelve times more to enforce our immigration laws than it does to enforce core labor protections. This enables employers to violate immigration workers’ rights with impunity, and undermines our efforts to build worker power. Rebalancing our enforcement priorities to safeguard rights and standards for immigrants will result in better conditions for all workers.
This is why LCLAA calls for the following:
Concrete protections, including work permits, for workers who are organizing and taking action to enforce our labor laws
No expansion of E-verify
Enactment of community trust policies that separate immigration enforcement from local law enforcement
An end to private, child, and family detention
Policy reform to bring an end to unrealistic and unreasonable costs and fees for immigration processes such as green card renewal, permits, and applications for citizenship
Humanitarian Protections for Those in Harm’s Way: Immigrants and refugees have always helped to build, serve, and feed our nation, and they continue to play a pivotal role in our society today. Preserving and expanding humanitarian pathways is essential for our country’s vitality and workforce. As human displacement continues to escalate in the face of conflicts and climate change, the United States and its territories must keep our doors open to refugees, asylum seekers, and other forced migrants from all regions of the world equally, without regard to the color of their skin or the faith they practice.
This is why LCLAA calls for the following:
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) designations for all eligible countries, including Central American countries affected by recent hurricanes
Increased levels of refugee resettlement
Improved asylum processing with broader criteria for eligibility
New, rights-based pathways for climate migrants
Fair treatment of unaccompanied children who arrive at our borders
Reformed immigration detention centers
Universal Access to Quality Public Services, Benefits, and Programs: All workers and their families—no matter their immigration status—should be guaranteed equal access to public services, government programs, and a social safety net. As we saw in the pandemic, current exclusions put millions of working families at risk and undermine public health.
This is why LCLAA calls for the following:
Affordable, quality healthcare
Unemployment insurance
Nutrition and housing assistance
Family tax credits
In-state tuition and federal student aid, including Pell grants
Driver licenses, and Real IDs
Raising Wages, Not Walls: The fate of workers in the United States and its territories is deeply intertwined with that of workers around the world, including those here in the Americas. We hope to advance a pro-worker model for the global economy that supports people rather than profits by working together across borders. We are committed to overcoming the structural challenges that hinder workers’ rights and opportunities everywhere, while also welcoming those who have no choice but to migrate.
This is why LCLAA calls for the following:
Trade and investment strategies that promote decent work at home and abroad
A just transition to a carbon-neutral economy that acknowledges and humanely addresses the displacement across borders caused by climate change
Demilitarization of our border communities
Building international and Pan-American solidarity and worker power through partnerships with unions and labor rights
Our work
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afl-cio immigration resources
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working families united #savetps
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know your rights fact sheet
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united we dream newsroom
podcasts
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Nuevas Protecciones Legales Para Trabajadores Inmigrantes: La acción diferida, las visas U y T
Los trabajadores inmigrantes se ven afectados de manera desproporcionada por las violaciones de los derechos humanos en el lugar de trabajo y enfrentan mayores represalias por exponerlas
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Todos con DACA
On November 14, 2020, New York Attorney General James ruled that Chad Wolf was not lawfully serving as Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security when he signed rules that limited the number of applications and renewals for DACA, therefore invalidating his suspension to the program. Across the nation, DREAMers and advocates celebrated this ruling. But what does this ruling mean with the results of recent elections?
OUR RELATED RESOLUTIONS
24th National Membership Convention
Resolution 11: "Humanitarian Protections for Immigrants and Refugees",
Resolution 15: "Protecting Latino Families Through Fair Immigration Policies",
Resolution 16: "Raising Wages Not Walls" and
Resolution 17: "Safeguarding Rights and Standards for Immigrant Workers"
23rd National Membership Convention
Resolution 1: Demand the Release of Children in ICE Detention Centers
Resolution 3: Support the Protecting the Right to Organize Act, The PRO-ACT, and the Support the Protecting and the Public Sector to Negotiate Act,
Resolution 7: Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Citizenship
Resolution 8: Calling on the National LCLAA to Coordinate a National Campaign Among Chapters to Reform our Broken Immigration System through Budget Reconciliation
See What We’re Saying
Read our statements on calls for immigration reform and more.
