AHEAD OF LABOR DAY, AV HOSTS PRESS CALL WITH LABOR LEADERS
On Wednesday, AV hosted a telephonic press conference with labor leaders, workers, and experts calling for expanded use of TPS (Temporary Protective Status). Mary Kay Henry, President of SEIU, Jimmy Williams, General President of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, Enrique Fernandez, General Vice President of UNITEHERE, Daniel Costa, Director of Immigration Law and Policy Research at the Economic Policy Institute and TPS holder and SEIU Local 2015 member María Barahona joined AV Executive Director Vanessa Cárdenas for the press conference and you can listen to a recording here. UNITEHERE’s VP Fernandez said, “Our unions want to see action on TPS. Our communities want to see action on TPS. Our employers want to see action on TPS. We urge President Biden to pick up that pen and take action on TPS today.” And IUPAT President Williams added, “By championing TPS, we can ensure our economy is one of inclusivity, fairness, and that acknowledges immigrants’ immense contributions, particularly building our nation’s infrastructure.”
AV RESPONDS TO JACKSONVILLE RACIST SHOOTING
Last weekend, a white man wearing a mask, tactical vest and armed with a gun emblazoned with a swastika walked into a Dollar General store in Jacksonville and murdered three people, all of them Black. It’s the latest example of extremist, racist violence that has become all too common in our country, and a worrying sign that our elected leaders are not doing enough to condemn or prevent further attacks against people in our communities. AV’s executive director, Vanessa Cárdenas, said of the shooting: “Domestic terrorism, including by white nationalists motivated by racist and nativist conspiracies, is the greatest terrorist threat to our nation per DHS and independent analysis. When political leaders mainstream racist conspiracies, they normalize the very ideas inspiring the domestic terrorists and foster a climate for more racist political violence.” Read our full statement here.
LET’S BE CLEAR: IMMIGRANTS ARE AN ECONOMIC BENEFIT TO OUR COUNTRY
Happy Labor Day. Throughout the week, AV has been highlighting the many ways immigrants “get the job done” while calling on the Biden administration to help deliver work permits to more of the immigrants who want to work to support themselves and their families. Economists and economic analysts have been highlighting the important benefits and labor market boost provided by immigrants – underscoring the potential to contribute even more if given the opportunity. For examples, see Axios, “Immigrants are rescuing a worker-starved U.S. economy” and CNBC, “Why U.S. immigration policies may be hurting economic growth.” Throughout the week and continuing through the holiday weekend, AV is lifting up social media content from labor allies, including UFW and SEIU, on our social media channels, continuing the Labor Day theme (Threads, BlueSky, Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, among others)
FROM AMERICA’S VOICE IN ESPAÑOL: ASYLUM SEEKERS NEED WORK PERMITS
This week, AVES published a piece on the importance of allowing asylum seekers access to work permits and a right to work. Read AVES Director Maribel Hastings’ full column in English here and Spanish here. As cities continue to receive more asylum seekers each week, the call for work permits for migrants continues to grow across the country. As AVES noted, “The Spanish-language media coverage of the refugee crisis in New York reveals a common denominator among immigrants: they want to work. As people seeking asylum, they wait six months, at a minimum, to be eligible to apply for a work permit. In some cases, the wait is even longer.” The column was published by several outlets including La Opinión and Latino Los Angeles.
YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS
And finally, this week, the U.S. State Department has called on U.S. citizens to immediately leave Haiti as the country’s security situation continues to deteriorate. At the same time, the Biden Administration continues sending deportation flights to Haiti, as Thomas Cartwright, who tracks “ICE Air” flights for Witness At The Border, reports. In Haiti, violent gangs are gaining control of more of the country each day. Guerline Jozef, co-founder of the Haitian Bridge Alliance told the Miami Herald, “This is a travesty for the United States to be sending any deportation flights to Haiti right now; it should be viewed as a human rights violation and a potential crime against humanity … We cannot be asking for the evacuation of people and deporting them at the same time … They are themselves sending people to what they believe is danger.” While the administration has done some helpful things, like extending TPS and creating a parole and family reunification program, deporting people back into harm’s way is not the answer. Read more here.
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