Skip to main content

Immigration Reform: The Time is Now

Resolution: 74A-13-6

There is no question that the U.S. immigration system is broken. That is why the labor movement has joined with faith and community leaders, civil rights activists, immigration organizations and others, to call for comprehensive immigration reform. The immigrant community is an important part of the movement that we are building to create economic and social justice.
 
A framework for comprehensive reform must include:

  • A roadmap to citizenship for undocumented workers. Immigrants who have proven that they positively contribute to American society should be able to apply for legal residency and eventual citizenship.
  • The special circumstances of children brought to the United States by their parents and who have grown up and attended school in this country.
  • A continuation of our country’s long-standing tradition to keep families together. This should apply regardless of sexual orientation.
  • Establishment of an independent commission to assess and manage future immigration flows, based on actual need for such workers due to labor market shortages.

This framework reflects our shared values of dignity, fairness, opportunity, voice and justice. It is based on the simple idea that working people can only be stronger by making sure that all workers have protection against employer exploitation and are equally covered by the laws of our land.
 
The United States has always been a nation of immigrants. Our history is that of people who risked everything to come to this country for a better life for themselves and their families. For most immigrants arriving in the late 1800s or the early years of the 20thcentury, there were no laws restricting their ability to work and earn citizenship in their new homeland. The newest immigrants deserve no less.
 
If our nation does not adopt a path to citizenship, we are condemning 11 million immigrant workers and their children to exploitation by employers, substandard wages and working conditions.   
 
Last November, voters soundly rejected the pro-corporate and anti-immigrant agenda advanced by those who have stood in the way of comprehensive reform. The time for real reform is now.
 
Resolved: CWA will continue to educate members about the adverse effects the current broken immigration system has on all working people and on the need for real reform that ensures that all workers are protected against exploitation and have full and equal protection under the law.
 
Resolved: CWA will work with allies who agree that comprehensive immigration reform must happen now. We know that a movement of 50 million Americans can bring about real change and restore economic and social democracy.  CWA at every level will join forces with other unions, faith groups, civil rights and community organizations, Jobs with Justice, students and others to make our voices heard.
 
Resolved: CWA, working through our Legislative-Political Action Teams and on every level of our union, will make sure that state, local and federal legislators and elected officials know that we demand a path to citizenship for 11 million immigrants, many of whom were brought to the U.S. at a young age by their parents. These 11 million immigrants work hard, love this country, and want to be full participants in this democracy. Together, we will build a movement for change.

Resolved: Immigration reform must be combined with a new effort to revise international trade and investment agreements, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, to address the base causes of large-scale immigration.