The tragedy of the Baltimore bridge, where six workers of Latin American origin died, has forced the Joe Biden Government to confront a campaign promise that has been forgotten: granting legal status to the more than 11 million undocumented migrants living in United States.
Days after the accident, in which the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed after being hit by a ship, dozens of activists and businessmen have revived calls for Biden to use presidential powers to help some groups of migrants, through mechanisms such as Temporary Protected Status or humanitarian leave known as “parole.”
However, the White House gives no indication that it will take any immigration action in the near future. In an interview with EFE, Tom Pérez, advisor to the president, noted that “they are reviewing” the letters sent by organizations and the private sector.
IT MAY INTEREST YOU:
“First, we are supporting the families,” said Pérez, who said that they are looking for ways to ensure that the victims’ relatives who are outside the country and do not have a visa can enter the United States.
The official insisted that the Democratic Administration “has done more than any other” in terms of opening legal avenues for migration to the United States and blamed the polarization in Congress for the absence of a reform that reaches out and give a path to citizenship to those who are already there.
The lack of immigration status exacerbates the risks faced by construction workers, a sector where more than 30% are Latino or of Hispanic origin, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“The vast majority of people are afraid and do not know their rights,” Jaime Contreras, vice president of the 32BJ service workers union in the Washington DC and Baltimore area, explained to EFE.
During his more than 20 years of working in the union, Contreras claims to have seen how employers take advantage of workers’ lack of immigration status to circumvent labor laws.
“They have wanted to violate the minimum wage, paying with personal checks or threatening them that they will call immigration if they want to organize in a union,” he explained.
Allowing more people access to a work permit would also benefit the US economy, as different industries in the country are experiencing a labor shortage, Contreras added.
The latest data from the Department of Commerce corroborates this: as of February 2024, the US has 9.5 million job openings, but only 6.5 million unemployed workers.
In the construction sector, the industry would need more than half a million additional workers to meet current demand, according to figures from the Builders and Contractors Association.
For Doug Pruitt, former director of the Sundt construction company, migrant workers can help close that gap: “There is a need for people to work and they should be able to be granted work permits,” he told EFE.
Biden tried unsuccessfully in 2021 to get immigration reform passed in Congress to give undocumented people in the US a path to citizenship.
Since then, the Government has been toughening its stance towards immigration in response to pressure from the Republican opposition and the increase in the arrival of migrants at the border with Mexico.
We invite you to visit us on the new NY1 Noticias channel on WhatsApp. There you will find the most relevant news about what is happening in New York, as well as other coverage about the rest of the country, Latin America and the world. click in this link to access the channel. We thank you in advance if you become one of our followers and express your reaction to what we publish with an emoji.
