Washington, D.C. (February 8, 2021) – Terry O’Sullivan, General President of LIUNA – the Laborers’ International Union of North America – made the following statement today:

LIUNA commends Senators Van Hollen, Cardin, and Feinstein on their leadership in working to protect Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients with the re-introduction of the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency (SECURE) Act. Many thousands of union members in the construction industry have been under threat of deportation following actions under the previous Administration. The SECURE Act would allow these valued members of our union to remain in our country and protect workers from all TPS designated nations, and their immediate family members, who have had a continuous presence in the U.S. The bill will give them a path to legal permanent resident status as well as eventual naturalization.

Thousands of union members have lived and worked in our country for years under TPS, paying taxes while supporting their families. Approximately thirty percent of TPS recipients work in the construction industry. These workers build America every day and are vital to our nation’s economy.

LIUNA is proud to endorse the SECURE Act and urges Congress to bring this legislation to the floor for passage immediately.

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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 the United States and Canada.