path to citizenship

The new Homeland Security secretary says an earned path to citizenship for the roughly 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally is a matter of national security. The Defense Department's former top lawyer said offering a path to citizenship would encourage such immigrants "to come out of the shadow, to be accountable, to participate in the American experience."

Woven into our national conversation on immigration reform are divisive arguments pitting immigrants against U.S. workers — including workers of color. These arguments aren't just unfounded — they run counter to the goal of helping all workers organize against wage suppression and exploitation. As union members and immigrants' rights activists, we think it's time to re-frame the discussion.