NELP Condemns ICE Worksite Raids and Militarized Violence in L.A. and Around the U.S.

Following is a statement from Marisa Díaz, Immigrant Worker Justice program director with the National Employment Law Project:

“The National Employment Law Project (NELP) strongly condemns the recent militarized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Los Angeles, worksite raids around the country, violence by police actors, and the violent arrest and detention of union leader David Huerta. These aggressive federal actions, driven by the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant agenda, are terrorizing immigrant communities of color, tearing families apart, and destabilizing the safety and rights of all workers.

This attack on labor threatens workers’ safety, our constitutional rights, and the democratic norms that uphold our country.

“These enforcement actions are targeting underpaid immigrant workers from predominantly indigenous and Latine communities who are already at high risk of exploitation and retaliation by employers. In response, workers and their allies have exercised their constitutional rights to protest and report on these abuses. But instead of respecting those rights, federal agents have escalated their tactics. This show of force is meant to instill fear.

“The violent arrest and detention of worker leaders and the president of SEIU California and SEIU-USWW, David Huerta, a longtime union leader who was engaged as a community observer, represent a broader pattern of silencing and criminalizing those who stand with workers. This attack on labor is a dangerous escalation that threatens workers’ safety, all of our constitutional rights, and the democratic norms that uphold our country.

“These attacks push vulnerable workers further into the shadows, reward exploitative employers who profit on violating workers’ rights, and make workplaces less safe for all.  This kind of state violence is incompatible with a good-jobs economy. We call for an end to worksite raids and the release of David Huerta and the workers who have been targeted. We stand with all who are organizing for the dignity and safety of all workers.”

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