TEXAS AFL-CIO: JUDGE’S DECISION OVERTURNING SB 4 IS VICTORY FOR WORKING PEOPLE

 A federal judge’s decision blocking SB 4, the “show me your papers” immigration law that was to take effect Friday, is a victory for all working people, Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick said today.

  “If any working people do not have the full measure of workplace rights, none of us do,” Patrick said. “SB 4 may focus on the role of Texas law enforcement in deportation and immigration detainers, but it sends a larger message to unscrupulous employers that they would continue to have license to discriminate against immigrant workers. On that low road, immigrant workers in Texas are under threat of deportation if they speak up for their rights or merely seek a better job.”

  “Our nation needs comprehensive immigration reform that would ensure immigrant workers have the same workplace rights as everyone else. Today’s ruling is a step in the direction of acknowledging that certain Texas employers should not be able to have the cake of benefiting from immigrant labor and eat the cake of being able to threaten workers with deportation.”

  “People are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and we certainly don’t need the threat of this discriminatory law hanging over our heads.  There will never be a good time to enact SB 4, but this would be the worst time imaginable. The labor movement will continue to fight for the rights of all workers, including immigrants, to full equality in our state.”

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