Washington, DC - The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, AFL-CIO (APALA) issued the following statement in response to Trump's State of the Union address:
"Given the difficult year for workers, immigrants, refugees, women, and so many more, the State of the Union did not shed light to the true state of our union. Instead, Trump resorted to usual tactics and rhetoric, scapegoating and criminalizing immigrants and celebrating corporate greed at the hands of working people. Though Trump called for unity in a very polarized time, his speech last night meant nothing but damaging policies for our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) workers, families, and communities.
Trump's latest immigration proposal continues to hold DREAMers hostage by offering up our families, neighbors, and loved ones. DREAMers are not and should not be used as political bargaining chips, and we remain resolute to counter any attacks to pit our communities against each other. With the White House's white supremacist wish list to slash legal immigration by 50%, gut asylum laws and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) that offer refugees a new start, and build a mass deportation force, Trump is proposing measures that are a waste of taxpayer dollars and that have nothing to do with national security, instead of making long-term investments into communities.
Furthermore, Trump's empty words on his regime's impact on working families is grossly misleading as the administration has prioritized corporate greed over working people from the beginning. From the tax scam bill to rolling back protections to keep workers safe to potentially even stealing tips from workers, the wealthy 1% is profiting at hands of workers everywhere.
The true state of our union and our new American moment now lie in the organizing and mobilization of workers, women, people of color, and people from all walks of life who demand to live and work with dignity, safety, and respect. The power we are building together with national, local, and grassroots partners nationwide will not and cannot be stopped. We see it in our unions that continue to fight against attacks on the right to collectively bargain and organize. We see it in our communities who are turning out the vote in historic numbers. We see it in our APALA members who understand that an attack on one is an attack on all. This is the state of our union, and this is how we will win."
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"Given the difficult year for workers, immigrants, refugees, women, and so many more, the State of the Union did not shed light to the true state of our union. Instead, Trump resorted to usual tactics and rhetoric, scapegoating and criminalizing immigrants and celebrating corporate greed at the hands of working people. Though Trump called for unity in a very polarized time, his speech last night meant nothing but damaging policies for our Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) workers, families, and communities.
Trump's latest immigration proposal continues to hold DREAMers hostage by offering up our families, neighbors, and loved ones. DREAMers are not and should not be used as political bargaining chips, and we remain resolute to counter any attacks to pit our communities against each other. With the White House's white supremacist wish list to slash legal immigration by 50%, gut asylum laws and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) that offer refugees a new start, and build a mass deportation force, Trump is proposing measures that are a waste of taxpayer dollars and that have nothing to do with national security, instead of making long-term investments into communities.
Furthermore, Trump's empty words on his regime's impact on working families is grossly misleading as the administration has prioritized corporate greed over working people from the beginning. From the tax scam bill to rolling back protections to keep workers safe to potentially even stealing tips from workers, the wealthy 1% is profiting at hands of workers everywhere.
The true state of our union and our new American moment now lie in the organizing and mobilization of workers, women, people of color, and people from all walks of life who demand to live and work with dignity, safety, and respect. The power we are building together with national, local, and grassroots partners nationwide will not and cannot be stopped. We see it in our unions that continue to fight against attacks on the right to collectively bargain and organize. We see it in our communities who are turning out the vote in historic numbers. We see it in our APALA members who understand that an attack on one is an attack on all. This is the state of our union, and this is how we will win."
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| apala_on_sotu_nothing_but_damaging_policies.pdf |
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