UNITE HERE, IUPAT, Bricklayers, UFCW and Iron Workers, Unveil Creation of Joint Campaign to Extend Temporary Protected Status for All Countries Facing Expiration

Washington, DC – Today five leading American labor unions, backed by the AFL-CIO, unveiled the creation of a joint campaign initiative focused on saving Temporary ProtectedStatus, revealing nearly one million dollars already raised and throwing its weight behind the TPS bill introduced today by Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).

UNITE HERE, IUPAT, Bricklayers, UFCW, and the Iron Workers publicly launched Working Families United today, an immigrant worker advocacy coalition that will be running a nearly million-dollar campaign to extend Temporary Protective Status in the coming weeks. The partner unions represent tens of thousands of TPS union workers in hospitality, construction, and trades who would lose their legal worker status if TPS is not renewed.

Working Families United is the only major TPS advocacy organization funded exclusively by labor, and has the formidable backing of nearly one million dollars for advocacy in the final weeks of the 2017 congress. The TPS campaign budget will include a variety of ad buys and will center around key congressional targets crucial in bipartisan passage of HR 4253 and the Van Hollen bill.

There are over 320,000 TPS holders in America, working legally, paying taxes, and contributing to the economy. Many have been in America for decades and have raised families that include American born children. In addition to reaping significant economic damage on the hospitality and construction industries if not extended, termination of TPS would also eliminate a major source of tax revenue, as TPS holders pay hundreds of dollars of fees to have their immigration status renewed regularly. TPS designations to countries with humanitarian or environmental crises have been renewed annually, but are now threatened under the Trump administration. Labor unions are making a strong statement that people who have lived here for decades and played by the rules should be offered a path to legalization and citizenship.