Statement from NDLON’s Cal Soto on the Quiet End of the DALE Program

Los Angeles, CA — “The quiet dismantling of the DALE program by the Trump administration is more than just policy rollback — it’s a deliberate move to weaken labor rights and silence the most vulnerable workers in our economy. DALE wasn’t some sweeping amnesty. It was a narrow, common-sense program that protected undocumented workers only if they had the courage to speak up during labor investigations. Ending it sends a crystal-clear message: this administration is more interested in punishing the powerless than holding abusive employers accountable.

The MAGA movement doesn’t want to talk about DALE, and for good reason — it undermines their entire narrative. DALE showed that undocumented immigrants are not the problem — they are often the ones fighting the problem: wage theft, unsafe working conditions, corporate exploitation. And they were willing to put themselves on the line to do it.

Now, with DALE gone, we’re heading into a future where dangerous workplaces get even more dangerous, where wage theft becomes easier, and where fear replaces justice. Democrats — and everyone asking ‘What now?’ on immigration — should take a hard look at what’s been lost here. If we’re serious about labor rights, workplace safety, or real immigration reform, then DALE — or something like it — must be part of the solution.

We can’t enforce labor law when workers are too afraid to speak. DALE recognized that truth. Ending it is not just bad immigration policy — it’s bad labor policy, bad economic policy, and morally indefensible.”

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**DALE stands for Deferred Action for Labor Enforcement. It was a program created during the Biden administration to protect undocumented workers who were brave enough to report labor abuse, like wage theft or unsafe working conditions.
If an undocumented worker was involved in a state or federal labor investigation (for example, if they were helping expose illegal practices at their job), they could apply for:

• Temporary protection from deportation (called “deferred action”) for up to 4 years

• Permission to work legally during that time

This protection wasn’t automatic — people had to apply, and the government could approve or deny it based on their situation.