Change to Win Condemns ICE Raids in North Carolina

Calls for Immigration Reform that Gives All Workers a Chance to Achieve the
American Dream

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Following is a statement from Greg Tarpinian, Executive Director of Change to Win, on last night's raid by agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the homes of workers at the Smithfield meatpacking plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina:

"It becomes clearer every day that the Bush Administration has decidedthat pleasing its base with acts of political theater is more important than finding a real solution on immigration. And the human cost of that decision becomes clearer every day as well.

"We see the cost in families torn apart by armed agents at gunpoint. We
see the cost in thousands of innocent U.S. citizens and legal immigrants
being rounded up and detained for questioning. We see the cost in lives
turned upside down. We see the cost in whole communities coming to fear theknock on the door in the dead of night.

"This latest raid by ICE further calls into question the wisdom of the
Administration's decision to bring military-style tactics to immigration
enforcement. We reject any immigration policy that relies on employing
'shock and awe' tactics against hard-working people, many of whom are
citizens or fully documented legal immigrants, and we call on Congress to
reform our immigration system so that every working man and woman in thiscountry has a chance to achieve the American Dream."

About Change to Win

Seven unions and six million workers united in Change to Win to build a
new movement of working people equipped to meet the challenges of the
global economy and restore the American Dream in the 21st century: a
paycheck that can support a family, affordable health care, a secure
retirement and dignity on the job. The seven partner unions are:
International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Laborers' International Union of
North America, Service Employees International Union, UNITE HERE, United

Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, United Farm Workers of America, and United Food and Commercial Workers International Union.

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