WHEREAS:
All officials and employees in public service, from the President of the United States to every federal, state and local government worker, are required to carry out their responsibilities in accordance with the law and the Constitution; and
WHEREAS:
Although AFSCME members hold a range of views on immigration, we are united in recognizing the need for our government to uphold our constitutional rights in its policies and in its agents’ conduct; and
WHEREAS:
The Trump administration and Congress have promoted a massive increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) funding that has more than doubled the number of ICE officers. Many of these new agents lack the qualifications, temperament and appropriate training for law enforcement duty. The government deployed these agents to cities like Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, New York, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles and directed them to mask their faces and identities as they swarmed communities and beset residents without regard to constitutional rights. Tragically, in some instances, they have shot, even killed individuals who were peacefully protesting or engaged in other lawful conduct, such as driving to work. Instead of investigating these miscarriages of justice, the administration has misled the public about the incidents and denied their victims justice; and
WHEREAS:
AFSCME members are among the tens of thousands of immigrants being held in ICE detention centers, many of whom are being denied their due process rights, including denial of legal representation and communication with their families. More than 9 in 10 people detained by ICE are held in privately-owned facilities. Private prison companies like GEO Group and CoreCivic are enjoying a revenue windfall from immigrant detention contract payments that have risen by more than seven times. Investigations of conditions at ICE detention centers have found confirmed cases of physical and sexual abuse, mistreatment of pregnant women and children, inadequate medical care, overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions, inadequate food and water and exposure to extreme temperatures. A record 31 people died in ICE custody in 2025, and at least 24 are known to have died in ICE custody so far this year; and
WHEREAS:
The administration is taking away commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) from 200,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, lawful asylum seekers and other immigrants with authorization to work in the U.S., who met the qualifications for their CDLs and have done nothing to warrant losing them. While AFSCME is fighting this rule in the courts, this punitive action has already cost communities school bus drivers, transit workers, public works employees and other much-needed public service workers and has affected AFSCME members’ livelihoods; and
WHEREAS:
The administration has accused entire groups of immigrants of widespread fraud in child care, where 1 in 5 workers are immigrants, and in other sectors. This has incited bad-faith actors to harass and intimidate AFSCME members in these positions. These actions, combined with the government’s mass deportation policies, are creating a crisis in the care sector and other sectors; and
WHEREAS:
AFSCME members are among the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the administration’s withdrawal of temporary protected status (TPS) granted to those forced to flee their home countries due to war, mass starvation, government repression, climate disaster and gang violence; and
WHEREAS:
Because the Trump administration has threatened to cut off federal funding to jurisdictions that do not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, many jurisdictions have entered into 287(g) agreements with ICE, thereby compelling AFSCME members to do the work of federal immigration enforcement; and
WHEREAS:
The administration has defied court orders by deporting lawfully present immigrants and targeted individuals for deportation based on the color of their skin, their speech and their perceived political views. The government has broken into people’s homes and detained them in horrific conditions, then broadcast graphic and sensationalized video footage and images of these operations; and
WHEREAS:
The Trump administration has sought to build support for its anti-immigrant efforts by misrepresenting the character and conduct of immigrants, such as Mexicans, Haitians, Somalis and asylum-seekers. The administration originally promised that the government would target immigrants who had committed crimes and were the so-called “worst of the worst,” a policy with widespread support among Americans. But, in reality, more than 70% of those detained and deported had no criminal record. ICE and CBP agents have instead raided workplaces, airports, hospitals, schools, day cares, courthouses and community centers, where immigrants are following the rules and contributing positively to our country; and
WHEREAS:
The administration refused to resettle Afghan refugees who assisted U.S. armed forces in the War on Terror at great risk to themselves and their families. Moreover, it froze employment reauthorizations for undocumented immigrants who arrived in this country as children under the DACA program. DACA program participants were never legally responsible for the circumstances of their arrival in the United States, and many know no other home. DACA participants live and work in communities across the country and include members of AFSCME and other unions; and
WHEREAS:
President Trump continues to press for an end to birthright citizenship despite a ruling by the Supreme Court blocking his earlier efforts; and
WHEREAS:
Immigrants have always been a vital part of the American working class, and the labor movement has often been central to immigrant mutual aid organizations; and
WHEREAS:
AFSCME has long supported a comprehensive approach to immigration reform that provides an earned pathway to citizenship and balanced and humane immigration law enforcement. Congress, under both parties, has failed for decades to address this issue, despite broad consensus and an urgent need to act.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:
That AFSCME strongly opposes the Trump administration’s unjust and unconstitutional immigration policies and the lawless conduct of some of its agents who violate the rights, endanger the families and besiege the communities of many members and those who live in the communities we serve. Our government must act within the law and the Constitution and hold its agents accountable when they abuse their authority. These agents bear a heightened burden to uphold individuals’ constitutional and statutory rights through their conduct, such as by displaying identification and having their actions recorded; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME calls for an end to militarized immigration enforcement; the detention of individuals with no criminal records; and ICE and CBP raids on schools, health care facilities, houses of worship, courthouses and workplaces; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME recognizes all union workers and community members who have and continue to support immigrant neighbors through these concentrated enforcement efforts; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will stand up against any targeting or surveillance on protected union actions and defend the leaders of those actions; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will stand up against threats to withhold federal funding to jurisdictions and governments that refuse to enter 287(g) agreements; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will advocate for a reversal of the massive funding increases appropriated by Congress that allowed ICE and CBP to explode in size and operate beyond the bounds of congressional accountability and for the reallocation of those funds to public services that strengthen our communities; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will continue to advocate for a pro-worker immigration policy that recognizes the contributions and rights of all people, including: asylum for refugees, an earned pathway to citizenship and balanced and humane immigration law enforcement; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That AFSCME will support members whose work authorizations and other protections have been taken away or delayed by the withdrawal of their Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or by other means by connecting them with organizations that provide legal and other assistance, and will advocate for legislation and policies to restore TPS for those for whom it is unsafe to return to their home countries; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:
When AFSCME members are unjustly detained by ICE, we will provide support and assistance to those members and their families.
SUBMITTED BY:
International Executive Board
Gabriel Reyes, Delegate
AFSCME Local 1215, Council 31
Illinois
Nolan Rampy, President
Dylan Kelley, Secretary
AFSCME Local 1674, Council 93
Vermont
Jonathan Diaz, President and Delegate
AFSCME Local 741
Tamiko Boyd, Executive Vice President and Delegate
AFSCME Local 2626
District Council 36
California
Frederick Yungbluth, Jr., President and Delegate
Meredith Hickman, Secretary
AFSCME Council 75
Jackie Tate, President and Delegate
Hilary Zust, Secretary and Delegate
AFSCME Local 88, Council 75
Oregon