Washington, D.C. (March 12, 2019) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement today in response to the introduction of H.R. 6, The Dream and Promise Act.

LIUNA commends Representatives Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), and Yvette Clarke (D-NY) for introducing the American Dream and Promise Act and championing the cause of hundreds of thousands of workers under threat of deportation.

Without a legislative fix, the cancellation of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program and the program for Dreamers known as DACA will cause economic and humanitarian devastation. TPS holders and Dreamers have lived and worked in our country - building careers, paying mortgages, Social Security, and taxes – in some cases for 10, 15 or 20 years. The human cost of ordering them to return to unstable countries is incalculable. The economic cost to our nation is in the billions.

For the construction industry, the impacts are particularly dire for as many as a third of TPS holders – including thousands of LIUNA members - work in the industry. The deportation of tens of thousands of skilled workers will only further exacerbate the skilled worker shortages reported by contractors and construction industry associations.

We urge the full Congress to move forward quickly on the American Dream and Promise Act to provide a path to permanent residency for TPS holders and Dreamers.

###

The half-million members of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – are on the forefront of the construction industry, a powerhouse of workers who are proud to build America.