The United States government emphasized this Tuesday that basic labor rights in the country also protect undocumented workers.
In a press conference, the authorities of the United States Department of Labor encouraged all workers to inform themselves about their rights on the migrantworker.gov web portal, available in Spanish (trabajadormigrante.gov) and in six other languages, Efe reported.
The deputy assistant secretary for international labor rights, Thea Lee, highlighted that labor laws are universal and applicable to all workers, including undocumented workers.
Lee stated that these workers have the right to a safe work environment, to be free from harassment and violence, and to be paid for hours worked.
However, the official acknowledged that undocumented immigrants tend to feel more vulnerable and are afraid to report abuses for fear of deportation and other risks. This mistrust, she noted, not only affects labor services, but also other government services, creating a barrier for foreigners to seek help.
Everyone has rights, regardless of their immigration status.
Elizabeth Peña, migrant rights advisor at the Department of Labor, reinforced the idea that all workers have rights, regardless of their immigration status.
“Whatever their immigration status, they have rights as workers, and we want to provide them with this website. No matter how you are in this country, you deserve to be treated fairly and enjoy all the resources available to you,” he stated.
Officials encouraged all workers to visit the website, which offers a wide range of information and practical advice on wages, union rights, complaints of retaliation, human trafficking, legal advice and workplace safety.
The conference also highlighted a significant problem in the U.S. labor system: High demand for labor in many sectors is hampered by labor laws that can take six to 18 months to grant work permits.
This delay drives thousands of workers into the underground economy, where they are more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.
They will regularize more than half a million migrants
President Joe Biden’s government announced this Tuesday a new program aimed at regularizing more than half a million migrants residing in the country without legal status. The measure was announced by officials in a call with reporters and comes less than five months before the presidential elections, in which immigration management is a central issue.
The new program will primarily benefit people married to U.S. citizens.
This immigration relief, according to Efe, is one of the most significant since Barack Obama’s administration created the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2012, which has allowed more than 800,000 migrants to obtain work permits and protection against deportation.
The new policies will take months to take effect and will allow migrants to take only the first step in the process of obtaining residency in the United States, a process that can take years. The program is based on a legal figure known as “parole,” which provides protection against deportation and allows you to apply for a work permit.
This permit, valid for three years, allows migrants who entered irregularly and are married to Americans to apply for residency and, eventually, citizenship.
For the American president, this decision is “common sense.”
“I am not interested in making immigration and the border a political game,” he said during an event at the White House.
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