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Removing Unfair Labor Practices to Improve Immigration

by Ohio Dem. Rep. Dennis Kucinich - 05/15/06 4:08 PM ET

At the heart of it, this is an economic debate. As long as corporations continue to push wages down in their race to the bottom, and seek out cheap and undocumented workers, no amount of troops, or border patrol agents will be able to stop the flow of immigrants to this country.True immigration reform will only come when we remove the cheap labor economic incentive from corporate America. To strengthen our immigration policies, we need to enforce basic worker’s rights-fair wages, fair benefits and a safe work environment.

We are a nation of immigrants. Congress must work to protect this cornerstone or our nation

Congress needs to pass comprehensive immigration reform that allows current undocumented immigrants to have a path towards citizenship, establishes a legal framework for needed immigrants to work in our country, addresses the issue of family immigration backlogs, and protects the rights of workers.

We also must renegotiate and amend existing trade agreements to protect worker’s right, human right’s and environmental quality principles.

I voted against the punitive House legislation late last year. Instead of fixing our nation’s immigration problems, this dangerous bill threatens civil liberties, including due process of law; undermines family values; and jeopardizes the safety and security of all Americans.

For years Congress has avoided a comprehensive approach towards immigration. Instead it passed a series of stopgap measures. Now is the time to address the underlying economic problems that are at the heart of this issue.