SEIU’s Verrett applauds Biden administration’s executive order to keep families together

WASHINGTON, D.C. — April Verrett, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement in response to the Biden administration’s newly announced executive order:

“Immigrants are part of the fabric of our nation – they are our coworkers, neighbors, family members, and friends. As the union representing the largest number of immigrant workers, SEIU applauds President Biden’s executive action to provide work permits for undocumented immigrants who are married to U.S. citizens and shield them from deportation, as well as their children. Due to technicalities in our broken immigration system, these individuals have been prevented from working legally, and their families have been forced to live in constant fear of being separated. Today’s action will not only bring tremendous relief to their families, but will help build a stronger, more prosperous and more equitable nation.

“President Biden’s bold action promises to transform the lives of hundreds of thousands of American families, including children who depend on their parents for well-being, providing hope, stability, and economic security across generations. For the same reason, the administration should take all additional necessary actions within its legal authority to bring some order to our immigration system, such as expanding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to include all countries that qualify due to unsafe conditions, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nepal, and Nicaragua. This would be a tremendous relief to families who have lived here, in some cases for many years, enabling them to work legally and continue to contribute to our economy and communities.

“The work doesn’t stop there. We won’t stop fighting until we have a fair, humane, and orderly immigration system with a path to citizenship for all immigrants, who are indispensable to our workforce and their families. U.S. citizen children of immigrants of voting age are paying attention and will show up in November to vote for candidates who take action to keep their families together.”