Legislative fix for workers under threat of deportation is critical

Washington, DC (May 23, 2019) – LIUNA General President Terry O’Sullivan made the following statement following approval of the Dream and Promise Acts through the Judiciary Committee:

LIUNA commends the U.S. House Judiciary Committee for approval of the Dream Act, H.R. 2820, and Promise Act, H.R. 2821 and urges the full Congress to move swiftly on passage of these bills.

Without this legislation, the cancellation of the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program and the program for Dreamers will cause economic and humanitarian devastation. TPS holders and Dreamers have lived and worked in our country building careers, and paying mortgages, Social Security, and taxes in the United States for decades.

For the construction industry, the impacts are particularly dire - as many as a third of TPS holders and 11 percent of Dreamers work in the industry. The deportation of these skilled workers would bring critical infrastructure projects to a halt across the nation.

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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.