SEIU believes the current immigration system is broken and must be updated and replaced by one that addresses the needs of U.S. and immigrant workers in the 21st century global economy.  As the largest union of immigrant workers, and the second largest union in the U.S., we expect that our nation's leaders will enact workable solutions to our immigration problems and that they will recognize that punitive, anti-immigrant measures are neither realistic nor workable.  It is not only right, but also critical to our Nation's long-term interest that we treat immigrant workers in accordance with our nation's highest values.  Doing so will tie all workers closer together--regardless of their backgrounds--and build the strength and unity of working people so we can better address the myriad of  challenges that plague America's working families. 

SEIU believes that the only way to fully address our festering immigration problems is through comprehensive reform that fixes the interconnected flaws of our current broken system.  The need for comprehensive reform is urgent, not just for immigrants, but for all of us.  Until it is enacted, the absurdities of our current system will continue to drag our economy downward and claim an ever-growing list of victims, including:  workers who suffer depressed wages and poor working conditions; families separated from their loved ones; and communities that are degraded by increasingly heavy handed--but ineffective--enforcement efforts. 

In contrast, once comprehensive reform is achieved:

•    All workers will be legal workers, ending the current system of workforce tiers based on immigration status;
•    Future immigrants will have a safer, legal, and more orderly path to our shores;
•    The reduced illegal flow will greatly reduce the pressure for punitive enforcement measures that degrade our values; and
•    Immigrants will be better integrated and less susceptible to exploitation; immigrants will succeed faster and will contribute more to our economy in numerous ways, including paying more taxes.

To achieve this, SEIU believes that any reform of the immigration laws must include the following elements:

•    Earned Legalization.  A realistic and expeditious mechanism whereby the estimated 12 million undocumented persons currently living in the United States can get right with the law. We cannot realistically expect to deport 12 million people, even if that were desirable. Some path to citizenship is the only practical and humane solution.  The programs under consideration in Congress that SEIU supports all require workers to pay a significant fine and back taxes, undergo a background check and go to the back of the line of others who are waiting to enter the country legally.  SEIU also supports the DREAM Act--legalization of undocumented immigrants who have grown up in this country--as a component part or building block towards comprehensive reform.

•    Future Flow of Immigrant Workers.  Replace the current undocumented flow of workers with a legal and regulated flow so that in the future all workers will be legal workers.  Past attempts to reform our immigration laws have failed because they have not provided any mechanism for migrants to come here legally in times of economic growth or to satisfy the long-term needs of our aging workforce.  SEIU supports the idea of a standing commission to study and regulate the worker visa system to ensure that there is a close match between the number and types of visas that are available and the needs of our economy.  Any new worker visa program must be designed to prevent worker exploitation by empowering workers to fight back against abusive employers, and therefore must include:  strict requirements for compliance with labor standards; portability of visas so that workers can change jobs; the right to join unions; full labor and civil rights protections; and the ability--not dependent on the employer--to to self-petition for permanent residency and citizenship.  Finally, any new employment based visa program must allow workers to bring immediate family members with them who are also work authorized.

•    Enhanced Enforcement of Labor Laws.  Unscrupulous employers often employ an undocumented workforce because they think that by doing so they can violate the labor laws with impunity and obtain a competitive advantage over employers who comply with the law. Vigorously enforcing labor and civil rights laws will remove the strong incentive these employers have to hire undocumented workers.

•    Family Unification.   Family reunification has always been a core principle of U.S. immigration policy and it is our national interest for that to continue.  Family separation is unnatural and creates a powerful pressure for undocumented immigration.  Moreover, families play a key role in the integration of immigrants into American life, including providing social and economic support to adults and teaching children values and skills to succeed in school, society, and work. 

•    Secure Borders.  A key goal of comprehensive immigration reform is to secure our borders.  But decades of militarizing the border region and vastly expanding our border enforcement resources has only increased deaths in the dessert and enriched and professionalized organized smuggling rings and drug runners.  What it has not accomplished is to curtail unauthorized entry.  In fact, by interrupting the circular migratory flow that once prevailed between the U.S. and Mexico, the border build-up has increased the length of stay of unauthorized migrants in the U.S. As a result, these failed policies have actually increased the number of undocumented immigrants on our side of the border.  SEIU believes that the most realistic way to secure our borders and restore respect for law is to provide safe and orderly channels for immigrants to enter our nation legally.  We also believe that border enforcement will be more effective in the long run in preventing the entry of bad actors if it is accountable to border communities and undertaken without compromising due process and other core American values.

•    Interior enforcement.  SEIU supports interior enforcement that is consistent with our values as a nation and designed to obtain results rather than terrorizing and dividing communities. This requires judicial review, access to the federal courts and limited and humane detention.  Solely in the context of comprehensive immigration reform, we support a revamped mandatory employment verification system that is accurate, protects privacy and is not subject to misuse by employers.

•    Immigrant Integration.  Immigrant integration strengthens our nation by allowing immigrants to more quickly and fully contribute to our shared future.  We will make the immigrant experience better for immigrants and for U.S. workers if we invest federal funds in immigrant integration, such as classes that teach English, American culture and U.S. laws; and we should facilitate immigrant inclusion and participation in our major institutions such as health insurance and education.  To the same end, we should support state and local governments' efforts to help integrate new Americans into our communities.

•    Bi-lateral Partnerships with Immigrant Producing Countries.  The long-term solution to uncontrolled immigration is to encourage real economic development and sustainable jobs in immigrant producing countries so that workers in those countries don't have to leave their native country in order to support themselves and their families. To that end SEIU believes it is critical to expand partnership with countries in Latin America, the Caribbean and across the globe.

<< Back to main immigration page