WASHINGTON – Representative Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07) issued a statement following the publishing of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) guidance to protect immigrant workers who experience or witness labor or civil rights violations in the workplace:
“I am grateful the Biden administration expanded the rights of all workers and provided protections for employees reporting exploitative behavior,” said Rep. Grijalva. “No worker should fear retaliation or removal from our country for standing up for their basic rights. This latest guidance builds on our calls to extend protections to ensure that every worker – regardless of immigration status – is protected. I’ll continue to work with the Biden administration to ensure we empower workers and deliver a clear process by which they can exercise their labor rights.”
During the 117th Congress, Rep. Grijalva and other lawmakers sent a joint letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging the Department to act to protect labor and civil rights, regardless of immigration status, by establishing an effective process to provide immigration protections and work authorization for witnesses and victims of labor and civil rights violations.
The full announcement from DHS can be found here.