By SEIU Member and Kaiser Permanente Service Representative Datosha Williams in West Covina, CA
As a nation of immigrants, it’s despicable that elected officials continue to demonize those who come to the United States and make it a stronger, better place. Let's be honest. It's greedy CEOs holding us back, not hard-working immigrants.
Workers, documented or not, have many of the same rights under the constitution. EVERYONE should know what they can and need to do if they are ever in a position where their citizenship or immigration status is questioned.
Here are just a few immigration-related rights you may not be aware of:
- You have a right to remain silent;
- You have a right to refuse search;
- You have the right to call your country's consulate;
- You have the right to demand copies of your immigration papers; and
- You have the right to speak to an attorney.
Because few know these and many more immigration-related rights, my fellow SEIU members and I have put together a video that educates working people on our rights, no matter where we are from or who we are.
Our movement-building power for working people isn’t just for those who have called the US their home since birth. It’s for everyone.
Solidarity exists in all fights, not just those impacting our job site. Standing together and helping to protect immigrant workers from unfair or illegal attempts to deport them or question their immigration rights is a fight we won’t shy away from.
We know that when greedy corporations succeed in dividing us by immigration status, race, and/or any other category, it's only those corporations that win.
