Labor rights organizations face an uphill battle supporting low-wage immigrant workers.
Alexandra Sossa is the CEO of FLAP – Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project. The nonprofit provides legal and social support for low-income workers whose rights have been violated on the job.
She said President Trump’s pledge of mass deportation brings challenges to their work.
She said immigrants make up the majority of agriculture, food processing, meat packing and dairy workers. She said before the pandemic, this set of workers was invisible.
“During the pandemic, they become essential workers, and now under this new administration, those workers are criminals,” Sossa said.
“So, because of this, the conclusion for FLAP is an intense work to address those issues and increase the tools that are given to the workers to stand up for their rights.”
She said they minimize publicizing ‘know-your-rights' trainings as a safeguard, so those events don’t become a target for immigration enforcement.
