For immediate release
August 13, 2019
Rachel Gumpert
908-752-3929
UNITE HERE Hospitality Workers Union Condemns Trump Public Charge Rule Favoring Wealthier Immigrants, Vows Action to Take Back Our Government in 2020
NEW YORK, NY—Today UNITE HERE hospitality workers union denounced the Trump Administration’s latest racist attack on immigrant families—a new rule that gives preferential treatment to wealthier immigrants seeking legal status in the U.S. UNITE HERE International President D. Taylor issued the following statement:
“The Trump Administration’s Public Charge Rule is merely the latest salvo in a concerted anti-immigrant campaign of which all Americans should be ashamed. The intention of this latest regulation is to punish those among us who are most vulnerable and make wealth a prerequisite for access to the American Dream.
“This new rule flies in the face of our country’s core values, turning programs meant to provide much-needed assistance to those in need into weapons to wield against immigrant families who have stood in line and followed each step of an inhumane process.
“If we want fewer people to rely on public assistance, then we should be advocating for better jobs, not excluding people from the American Dream. The federal government has the power to do this right now, by requiring employers to meet minimum labor standards that don’t force workers to turn to public benefits.
“The Trump Administration’s passion for restricting the basic freedoms of people based on financial status, where they come from, faith, or the color of their skin is intolerable. UNITE HERE members will continue to fight to reclaim our country, remove politicians who spew anti-immigrant animus from power, and achieve the comprehensive immigration reform that our families need.”
UNITE HERE represents over 300,000 North American hotel, casino, and food service workers who hail from all corners of the planet. The largest hospitality workers union in the world, UNITE HERE has been a leading voice for comprehensive immigration reform, particularly around TPS, DACA, and ending family separation.
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UNITE HERE has more than 300,000 members working in the hotel, gaming, food service, manufacturing, textile, distribution, laundry, transportation, and airport industries in the U.S. and Canada, including many immigrant members. Learn more at www.unitehereimmigration.org.