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In the wake of the shocking collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which killed six people, immigrant rights advocates are calling for more protections for millions of undocumented immigrant workers across the United States.
In a letter Tuesday, 20 business leaders from across the country urged President Joe Biden to give undocumented essential workers a path to legal protection.
“Many workers in our industry have been here without legal status and have contributed to our economy for five, 10, even 20 years. Alejandro Hernández Fuentes, Dorrian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Mayor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, Miguel Luna, Jose Maynor López, Carlos Hernández, and hundreds of others. We will honor the honest labor of all people,” they said in a letter to Biden. All six people died in the Baltimore Bridge collapse.
Last Tuesday, authorities waited several minutes for the bridge to clear before the cargo ship Dali crashed into the pier, sending the 2.6-mile roadway into the frigid Patapsco River. Eight construction workers were repairing a hole in the bridge when the tragedy occurred. Two people were rescued, but the remaining crew members were presumed dead after an hour-long search and rescue operation.
Jaime Contreras, vice president of the 32BJ SEIU labor union, said at a press conference Tuesday that immigrants make up the vast majority of the region’s construction workforce, noting that immigrants will likely be required to rebuild the bridge. did.
In the Washington-Baltimore area, nearly 40 percent of immigrant construction workers are from El Salvador, 12 percent from Guatemala and 11 percent from both Honduras and Mexico, according to the nonprofit CASA. The workers killed in the bridge collapse were from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.
Advocates said undocumented workers are often forced into silence when faced with dangerous working conditions due to a lack of work permits or documentation.
“Our country cannot survive or thrive without immigrant workers, and they deserve basic protections,” Contreras said.
Undocumented workers are afraid to speak out about safety issues, advocates say
Business leaders from multiple states, including Florida, Illinois, Arizona, Texas, Colorado and California, urge Biden to extend work permits for long-term immigrant construction workers through temporary protected status or humanitarian parole. I asked. TPS protects people from deportation and allows them to apply for work permits.
CASA spokeswoman Josie Flor Sapunaar said the families of the bridge collapse victims have not disclosed their immigration status, but many like them face deadly situations on the job. , pointed out that they were not given equal protection. Sapnar said undocumented workers are often afraid to speak up about job safety issues because of their immigration status.
“This scourge is a stark reminder that immigrant essential workers play a vital role in our communities and economy, yet are dehumanized, demonized, and degraded across the country and in our governments. President Biden is committed to protecting the people who have helped build this country by providing substantial relief through legal means such as temporary protected status and humane parole to allow them to work. We have an opportunity to respect the achievements and dignity of people,” Sapnar said.
Immigrants make up the majority of the essential staff who build and maintain America’s roads, exposing themselves to deadly danger on the job every day across the country. According to the National Association of Home Builders, one in four construction workers is an immigrant.
“As construction companies and business leaders, we know that construction cannot exist without migrant workers. We also know that it is a physically demanding and sometimes dangerous job.” says the letter to Biden. “The death of a pothole worker stranded on a bridge shows that despite many safety measures, essential construction workers are vulnerable to sudden accidents and death.”
Immigrants make up 18% of the US workforce
ZeniHome CEO and former Arizona Republican state senator Bob Worsley said at a press conference Tuesday that the U.S. workforce relies on immigrants for several critical jobs. .
“Immigrant workers make this country work every day. As a nation, our debt to them is enormous,” Worsley said.
In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that immigrants made up about 18% of the nation’s workforce. According to the Pew Research Center, 4.6% of U.S. workers in 2021 were undocumented immigrants.
Immigration has fueled the growth of the U.S. workforce and alleviated chronic labor shortages and historic inflation spikes. Immigrants have accounted for 83% of the growth in the U.S. labor force since February 2020, according to data from Moody’s Analytics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But Mr Worsley said immigration had become a “political football”, especially ahead of the November election.
“Worker and employer permits will help quell self-serving and self-defeating political behavior in my home state of Arizona and elsewhere,” Worsley said.
Latino community “reinventing” Baltimore:They are now grieving for the victims of the bridge collapse.
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