STATEMENT BY AFL-CIO PRESIDENT RICHARD TRUMKA ON THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE’S SUIT AGAINST ARIZONA'S SB1070

July 6, 2010

We applaud the Obama administration and the Department of Justice for bringing legal action to stop Arizona from implementing SB1070, an anti-immigrant piece of legislation that would severely undermine workers’ rights and sanction racial profiling.  The union movement, together with many civil rights and faith-based organizations, is relieved to see the President take action to ensure that Arizona does not become the model for how the United States treats immigrants and people of color.  

While the lawsuit is an important first step towards protecting the fundamental civil rights of working people in Arizona, it does not go far enough.  The Administration has an immediate and more efficient alternative to achieve this end:  The Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security can—and should—revoke the authority that the Department has delegated to Arizona under the 287(g) program.  Without that authority, Arizona will not be able to implement misguided laws such as SB1070. 

Arizona SB1070 is a frustrated response to the lack of federal action on immigration reform.  Immigration is a federal issue and requires federal leadership, and it is time for Congress to do its job and fix our immigration system in a way that is consistent with our national values. 

The solution to our broken immigration system must protect all workers and provide a fair path toward citizenship for undocumented workers already living and working in the United States.  It must address the unique circumstances faced by undocumented students who were brought to the United States by their parents long ago.  It must include an independent commission to determine our society’s genuine need for more workers that does not afford employers a steady stream of exploitable labor.  And it must include a mechanism to ensure that employers are held accountable when they break the law.