More than 30 union groups are calling on the new Democratic House to pass legislation protecting immigrants who could face deportation following the Trump administration’s rescission of their work permits and protection from deportation. The groups are calling on the House to pass the legislation putting Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients on a path to citizenship during the new Congress’s first 100 days.
“Deportation of TPS holders and Dreamers, who are experienced and have an expertise in their jobs, would be devastating to the U.S. economy, as well as harmful to our organizations,” Working Families United, AFL-CIO, and more than two dozen other groups write. “While courts have recently acted to protect TPS holders and Dreamers, those protections are only temporary. We must pass legislation to provide permanent protections to these valued workers.”
Without permanent protections, this stands to become the next family separation crisis. One million immigrants are protected by these three programs, and combined these immigrants are parents to approximately half a million U.S. citizen children. Not to mention that DACA, TPS, and DED recipients are integral parts of their communities and vital workers in a number of industries, like construction and home health care.
“With a labor force participation rate of 87 percent, more than 246,000 TPS holders are working across the country,” said a report from the Center for American Progress. “The largest occupation groups for these workers are building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations (48,000) and construction (44,000), with sizable numbers in crucial occupations related child care, personal care, and home health aides (9,300).”
House Democrats are expected to introduce legislation that could address all three groups as soon as next week. All three have also received bipartisan support in the past: The 2017 DREAM Act was co-introduced by a House Republican, while President George W. Bush extended TPS and DED protections. It’s time to put them on a path to legal status once and for all, for the good of all.
“This bill is an important step toward providing stability for so many who have already passed background checks, pay taxes, go to school, and work hard every day to build a better America,” said UFCW International Secretary-Treasurer Esther López. “They work side by side with us, live in our communities, and are dedicated members of our union family and countless others. We can and must do better.”