Founded by immigrant workers, the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) believes that immigration policies must be fair and immigration reform must be comprehensive. LIUNA supports immigration policies that protect workers' rights, prevent exploitation, serve our national interest, and provide clear paths to citizenship. We advocate for reforms that maintain labor standards while creating opportunities for immigrant workers to fully participate in the construction industry.
For more than 120 years, our union has long stood shoulder to shoulder with immigrant workers—on job sites, in communities, and before elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels. We believe that all workers, regardless of where they were born, deserve dignity, fair treatment, and the opportunity to build a better life.
Our Position on Immigration
LIUNA supports comprehensive immigration reform that:
- Provides a clear and fair pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants living and working in the U.S.
- Protects immigrant workers from exploitation by unscrupulous employers who take advantage of their vulnerable status.
- Ensures strong labor standards that lift up all workers, native-born and immigrant alike.
We oppose policies that criminalize hardworking people, divide families, or undermine workplace protections. When immigrant workers are pushed into the shadows, all workers suffer. Exploitation becomes easier, wages are driven down, and safety takes a back seat.
A Stronger Workforce Through Unity
Our union believes that uniting workers across borders and backgrounds strengthens the labor movement and our economy. Immigration reform is not just a moral imperative—it’s an economic necessity. By bringing undocumented workers out of the shadows and into the formal economy, we raise labor standards for everyone and build a more just and inclusive workforce.
LIUNA will continue to advocate for policies that honor the work and humanity of immigrants. We will keep organizing, mobilizing, and fighting—because when workers stand together, we all rise.