AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler: Executive Orders on Immigration an ‘Unprecedented Attack on Immigrant Workers’

In response to executive orders promoting mass deportations and the rolling back of immigrants’ rights, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler issued the following statement: 

The executive orders President Donald Trump signed amount to an unprecedented attack on immigrant workers and their families that will weaken our economy and our country. While Trump and extremist Republican leaders propagate divisive rhetoric about immigrants to stoke fear, working people know that our fellow workers aren’t the problem—the real threat is billionaires like Trump and Elon Musk who seek to distract and divide us so they can seize even more power and make ever greater profits off of our labor. The bottom line: An immigrant doesn't stand between you and a good job—a billionaire does. 

Joining together as workers and unions is how we stand up to abusive bosses, hold greedy corporations accountable, and build an economy that works for working people. An injury to one is an injury to all. The labor movement stands proudly in solidarity with the millions of valued members of our workforce, our communities and our unions who are targeted by Monday’s announcements. Deporting people whose labor helps our country prosper and cutting off pathways into the United States is not only a betrayal of our values—it is also a recipe for economic disaster.  

Our unions will fight to defend and preserve fundamental rights for all working families, including access to education and health care, as well as the birthright citizenship protections enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution. We will join community allies to counter Trump’s unfair and unconstitutional attacks, so together we can ensure that everyone is safe on the job and can continue to build an economy that supports working families, not corporate billionaires.