WHEREAS, core to the labor movement are the values of solidarity, freedom, opportunity, and equality for all;

WHEREAS, working people are strongest when working together and the labor movement is strongest when it is open to all workers, regardless of where they come from;

WHEREAS, we as a labor movement have previously called for inclusive reform of our immigration laws, and adopted a position that demands a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented workers, the strengthening of family reunification as the basis of immigration policy, protection of the right to organize for all workers, the repeal of employer sanctions, and opposition to guest worker programs; and

WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO is committed to working together on the side of justice for all, along with community partners, including civil rights, human rights and immigrant rights organizations, to pass immigration reform that encompasses the principles of this resolution and that strengthens our democracy;

WHEREAS, the AFL-CIO passed Resolution 23, which:

• calls on Congress to ensure full labor and workplace rights and protections for all workers regardless of immigration status, including the right to organize and enforce worker protections without retaliation;
• calls upon Congress to create a fair, humane roadmap to citizenship for 11 million undocumented immigrants that is broad and inclusive and not contingent upon border security measures or going to the “back of the line” of prospective immigrants;
• supports family reunification by increasing legal avenues for loved ones to reunite with each other and by reducing unreasonable wait times that keep families separated;
• calls on Congress to ensure due process and protections at every level of immigration and to reinstate judicial review;
• calls for the end of enforcement programs such as Secure Communities, racial and ethnic profiling, and the excessive use of detention, including mandatory and prolonged detention;
• supports a reform on border enforcement by establishing safe and efficient ports of entry that promote public safety and uphold civil and human rights;
• calls upon Congress to provide immigrants with equal access to healthcare and other public benefits;
• rejects the use of electronic employment verification systems, such as E-verify which builds upon the flawed employer sanctions framework and pushes workers into an underground economy where workplace abuses are prevalent;
• supports immigration reform that will also address the root causes of forced migration by reforming our international trade policies to protect workers and families of all nations.

WHEREAS, President Trump has signed executive orders to commence raids and increase deportations of undocumented immigrants; turn our backs on Central American children fleeing violence allowed into the US; direct the Department of Homeland Security to build an unnecessary and costly border wall; and that threaten retaliation against law enforcement agencies who value trust with the community as a pillar for keeping their communities safe (so-called sanctuary cities);

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Troy Area Labor Council AFC-CIO

• opposes Trump’s executive orders referred to above;
• calls upon the state legislature to retain the Dream Act;
• calls upon the City of Troy and other Rennselaer County municipalities to direct that no city or municipal employee shall make or initiate any inquiry regarding the immigration status of any person, and that any information about the immigration status of any person that nevertheless comes into the possession of said employee shall be treated as confidential and shall not be disclosed to any agency outside city government, and;
• resolves to work harder to protect ALL communities threatened by this administration, and;

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be sent to the mayor of Troy, member of the Troy City Council, the Rensselaer County Executive and District Attorney, and members of the Rensselaer County Legislature.