In reaction to news shared in the form of an off-the-record tip to the Washington Post that President Biden plans to reaffirm campaign promises on immigration reform, Salvador G. Sarmiento issued the following statement on behalf of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON):
Thirteen months ago, as a new virus emerged and spread fear across the nation, a new term also appeared: “essential worker.” Ironically, this term, used by many to connote appreciation, was actually coined by the Department of Homeland Security, the very same agency that has for decades terrorized immigrant workers in an effort to get them and their families to self deport.
On Thursday, the Immigrant Alliance for Justice and Equity (IAJE Mississippi) presented a petition and letter to President Biden’s Labor Department officials.
After a year long campaign led by undocumented and excluded workers, New York State has approved a budget that includes $2.1 billion for an Excluded Worker Fund. It is an enormous step against the racist exclusion of immigrant workers and their families from COVID relief, and a victory made possible by the sacrifice and struggle of migrant workers, day laborer centers, and many more.
On Monday, April 5th, dozens of workers and worker advocates gathered to protest the rampant abuses of Unforgettable Coatings Inc., and call on the US Department of Labor to intervene.