Immigration

Immigration

To be effective and fair, immigration reform must be comprehensive and include a roadmap to citizenship that is inclusive, an end to cruel immigration enforcement, and protection of civil, labor and human rights.

Here is what comprehensive reform should look like:

A Roadmap to Citizenship

Legalization is essential for the most vulnerable in our community: low-wage workers and families. Legalization must be inclusive and promote integration of working immigrant families in our communities; promote civic participation and community and labor organizing, rather than suppress it; ensure that immigrants can access and contribute to the safety net instead of being locked out of it; and ensure that immigrant workers and their families can participate fully and contribute to the growth of a fair economy that will protect the rights of all working families, rather than be segregated at the bottom of an economy that is unjust.

An End to Cruel Immigration Enforcement

Immigration reform must include a complete reform of our country’s cruel, irrational, and dehumanizing immigration enforcement system. Current immigration policy and enforcement practices result in employer manipulation and abuse, and suffering and injustice for immigrants and American-born workers. Any reform should include access to justice and due process, civil, labor and employment rights, and public safety. Reform must stop deportations that tear families apart, and end dangerous programs that intertwine local law enforcement with ICE and force local law enforcement agencies to deviate from their original purpose of protecting our communities.

Protection of Civil, Labor, and Human Rights

Immigration reform must strengthen the rights of workers, families, and communities by protecting workers from retaliation for exercising their labor rights, and promoting rights we cherish in our country such as access to justice and due process. Employers must not be able to use enforcement or employer sanctions to block the rights of workers to organize and enforce workplace standards. There must be protections from racial discrimination by law enforcement officials.

Current Projects

Immigration/ Education:

Through our Líderes en Acción Chapter, our immigrant members are working to ensure that Charlotte and NC are more welcoming places for immigrants. Currently, Líderes en Acción is doing a campaign to ensure undocumented immigrant parents have the right to participate more fully in their children's education. Charlotte member, Estela Hernandez is on the CMS task force.

Municipal ID's

Connected to the CMS campaign, we are working to get Municipal ID's for people who need them in Charlotte. The Charlotte office is building a coalition of organizations that work with immigrants, the homeless, LGBTQ communities, ex-cons, and health care service providers. These are communities that would benefit from such an ID.