In response to the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the termination of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka issued the following statement:
Today’s Supreme Court’s decision on DACA is a victory for all working people and a testament to the tenacity and vision of immigrant youth whose leadership made it possible. For years, hardworking Dreamers, and their families and supporters, have fought for the simple right to live and work without fear in our country. With this decision, the Supreme Court allowed working people to move forward with our fight to bring equal rights and protections to all workers, regardless of our race or place of birth.
President Trump’s 2017 decision to end DACA was cruel and wrong, and that injustice now has been undone—but only temporarily. We know that this is but one step in our long fight to win permanent rights and status for all those whose labor helps our country to prosper. Together, we will continue our struggle to end structural discrimination and demand changes to a system rigged to benefit the wealthiest and corporations.
Our entire workforce has benefited from DACA, and those benefits will now continue. This program helps to raise wages, support a stable workforce and reduce exploitation in our country. The lessons of DACA make clear that the right way to protect workers is by expanding rights and protections, rather than ramping up enforcement tactics that spread fear in our workplaces and communities. Dreamers’ contributions have been vital for this nation, including on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, and America’s unions will continue to stand proudly with them in the struggle for justice by working to secure long overdue immigration reforms.
Contact: Gonzalo Salvador (202) 637-5018