Executive Action on Immigration Good for Families, Economy

USW International Vice President Fred Redmond and progressive talk show host Leslie Marshall this week discussed President Obama’s executive action on immigration and the continuing need for comprehensive immigration reform.

The president’s actions were an important first step in fixing America’s broken immigration system, Redmond said.

The executive order was designed to keep criminals out and families together, providing a measure of security to millions of people who have been living and working in the United States for at least five years.

“When you look at the executive order that the president passed, these people do not get to cut in line,” said Redmond. “They have to pay a fine. There are background checks, and if people are convicted felons, they will be deported…What it does do is gives them the comfort of knowing that they won’t be separated from their kids, who in most cases were born here and are U.S. citizens.”

The president’s executive action is also important for the economy, Redmond said. When undocumented workers fear deportation, they are vulnerable to unscrupulous employers who can steal wages and force them into unsafe working conditions.

“We see the creation of a low wage economy, where these workers are being exploited, doing, in many cases, some of the hardest work in our society,” said Redmond, “and these workers have no protections under U.S. labor law.”

What is more, when employers have the option to hire undocumented workers, they have fewer incentives to offer good wages and safe working conditions to U.S. citizens. The result is a race to the bottom.   

Comprehensive immigration reform, including a path to citizenship, benefits everyone, said Redmond. We need “to put the steps in place for people to become productive citizens, to pay their taxes and to enjoy the fabric of this great country of ours.”   

To hear the whole conversation, click on the audio below:

 

Background Material

Immediate Action Needed on Immigration: USW Says

Trumka: President's Immigration Executive Action 'Moves Us Forward'

GOP on Wrong Side of History on Immigration

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