One of the largest labor unions in the state issued a strong rebuke to Texas’ attorney general this week.
Following the decision by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to file a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, an Obama-era program that allows undocumented ‘Dreamers,’ brought to the U.S. as minors to stay legally, Texas AFL-CIO called out the move for what it was: sowing division.
“Now more than ever, we demand that our state’s top leaders stop fanning the flames of hatred and instead focus on meeting the needs of all Texans,” wrote Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy and Secretary-Treasurer Montserrat Garibay in a statement. “Texas residents in the DACA program work hard, pay taxes and help build our state. We know. Texas AFL-CIO membership and staff include DACA recipients who fight alongside co-workers and communities to make Texas a better place.”
Texans are split on a number of immigration proposals but not on Dreamers. A Quinnipiac Poll found 55 percent of Texas Republicans, and over 70% of all Texans, support allowing Dreamers to stay in the U.S. with a path to citizenship.
The labor union went on to say that Texas is changing and the state’s leaders can see the writing on the wall, and as a result, are trying to divide Texans to divert attention away from their failed policies.
“Texas needs leaders who will advocate for comprehensive reform that solves immigration problems, not the low road of wall-building, rule-rigging and scapegoating,” concluded the Texas AFL-CIO.
Texas is home to more than 124,000 DACA recipients, the second highest number in the U.S. A survey by the Center for American Progress found that an overwhelming majority (91 percent) are employed, with more than 100,000 DACA recipients working in Texas and contributing more than $6.2 billion annually to the state’s economy.
Photo: Diego G Diaz / Shutterstock.com
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignalarchive.com
