About 30 immigrant and labor advocacy groups are expected to demonstrate in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, including a group of roughly 250 people from North Carolina.
Aboard a charter bus from Charlotte to D.C. on Monday, Stefania Arteaga, of Carolina Migrant Network, explained why thousands of immigrant rights advocates are heading to the nation’s capital this week.
“We are really trying to push for the expansion of work authorization for all the hard-working essential workers, skilled laborers and young immigrants who have been contributing to our economy,” she said.
“We're trying to make sure that President Biden knows that there is a large community of long-term immigrants that have contributed to our society that are ready to [live without] fear of deportation and are working to make our country a better place.”
The North Carolinians joining the “Right to Work” summit and march includes about 50 people from Charlotte, representing organizations like the Latin American Coalition and the Hispanic Federation.
The lobbying effort is focused on long-term immigrants, people who have lived in the United States for decades but remain undocumented or under a temporary status. That includes people who came to the U.S. for humanitarian reasons and people who were brought to the country as children, like DACA holders. It also includes the relatives and spouses of U.S. citizens.
Yahel Flores, of the American Business Immigration Coalition, says these community members could alleviate workforce shortages. He says many of the business owners he consults with in North and South Carolina are eager to expand their hiring options.
“Currently we are estimating 11 million undocumented people in the United States,” Flores said. “We are hoping out of those 11 million, we can help out as many people as possible, from mixed-status families to Dreamer students who weren’t able to qualify for DACA because of the cutoffs.”
The "Right to Work" group plans to march from the National Mall to the White House at midday on Tuesday.
Flores says the executive branch could expand the immigrant workforce through existing programs, like humanitarian parole. The Department of Homeland Security is also able to increase work permit access through programs like Temporary Protected Status.
