Dreamers

Statement by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka
On the Launch of Administrative Relief for Undocumented Youth or DREAMers
August 15, 2012

Today we join undocumented youth or DREAMers who came to the United States as children in celebrating the beginning of the process by which they will be able to apply to remain in the U.S., and work with the full exercise of their rights. It is the culmination of years of activism by courageous and creative young people who are American in every sense except on paper.

This initiative brings long-awaited relief to hundreds of thousands of working families. It will allow these young people to work, go to school, and fully contribute to our society, without fear that they will be torn away from their families and deported to an unfamiliar land. While this is only a temporary solution that does not does not provide a roadmap to citizenship, it is an important step that removes many workers from the underground economy and allows them to stand up for their rights on the job, thus helping to protect the wages and working conditions of all workers.

Union halls around the country—including the AFL-CIO— have opened their doors to the DREAMers and are committed to working together to ensure that all young people entitled to relief under President Obama’s new policy are able to secure it.

The AFL-CIO remains committed to creating a common-sense immigration process, one that protects the interests of our children and working families, and we believe that Deferred Action is an important step toward that goal.

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http://www.aflcio.org/Press-Room/Press-Releases/Statement-by-AFL-CIO-President-Richard-Trumka-on-the-Launch-of-Administrative-Relief-for-Undocumented-Youth-or-DREAMers