ICE Agents Union to America: AFL-CIO President Trumka does not speak for us on immigr

ICE Agents Union to America: AFL-CIO President Trumka does not speak for us on immigration reform

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Regarding President Obama's recent speech on immigration reform, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka was quoted yesterday by YAHOO NEWS! as stating "Unions did have at one point some differences on the issue, but the entire labor movement is entirely behind this now. We'll be at the table the whole time this thing is being developed to make sure it meets the needs of workers."

Unionized ICE Agent's, however, respectfully say, "No President Trumka, there are still differences within the AFL-CIO, and you don't speak for us."

As AFL-CIO affiliates, the Union representing ICE Agents has been excluded by AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and his top advisors and prohibited from participating in the development of immigration policy within the AFL-CIO as well as with lawmakers and the Administration.

The ICE Agents union has reportedly made multiple requests directly to Trumka's top advisors all resulting in no change. "It's shocking," said Chris Crane , President of the National ICE Council which represents approximately 7,000 ICE Agents, Officers and employees, "the last time I checked, all of the heavy hitters within immigration enforcement to include ICE, the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services were all excluded by the AFL-CIO from policy planning and input – and we're all AFL-CIO affiliates. With most of the nation's immigration enforcement experts at his fingertips, to include immigration officers, agents and attorneys, Trumka has refused our union input on comprehensive immigration reform."

Regarding comments made by both Trumka and President Obama on defending workers and their rights, ICE Agents say they won't be entrusting AFL-CIO President Trumka to speak on their behalf during comprehensive immigration reform talks. Citing a February White House meeting between top Obama advisor Cecilia Munoz and Union Presidents representing approximately 50,000 unionized federal law enforcement officers, ICE Agents state that Trumka simply didn't come through for their workers in their time of need, and continues to ignore the workplace issues they face.

"We went directly to the Obama administration as well as the AFL-CIO with real matters of life and death for unionized American law enforcement officers and they shunned us," explained Crane, "we're talking about 50,000 AFL-CIO affiliate members. We asked both the AFL-CIO and President Obama for help with corruption within our respective Federal law enforcement agencies, climbing officer suicide rates, assaults against officers, and perhaps most alarming, offenses against pregnant female employees. Following the White House meeting, the Obama Administration cut us off. Cecilia Munoz refuses to correspond with us, and President Trumka hasn't so much as made one public comment fighting for the safety of AFL-CIO federal law enforcement officers. He just doesn't speak on behalf of our union workers."

According to ICE Agents, at the heart of fixing immigration enforcement is fixing their agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency tasked with enforcing U.S. immigration law essentially everywhere in the United States except on the Northern and Southern Borders. Additionally, ICE Agents say to ignore the unique experience of Federal officers and attorneys who specialize in immigration enforcement in the crafting of immigration reforms will create yet another failed immigration policy. "Respectfully, we see a lot of problems with the recently proposed reforms and we plan to exercise our rights as American's to participate in the democratic process and voice those concerns publicly in the upcoming months; we hope to do so without groups like the AFL-CIO demonizing us for expressing a different opinion."


SOURCE ICE Union

ICE Agents Union to America: AFL-CIO President Trumka does not speak for... -- WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --

Posted: 01/31/2013 2:37 pm EST | Updated: 01/31/2013 2:43 pm EST
Elise Foley
The Huffington Post

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AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is making a push this year for comprehensive immigration reform. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON -- The president of the National ICE Council, which represents Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, said Wednesday that its members are being "shunned" by AFL-CIO labor federation President Richard Trumka and that he does not speak of them on immigration reform efforts.

"It's shocking," Chris Crane, president of the National ICE Council, said in a statement. "The last time I checked, all of the heavy hitters within immigration enforcement to include ICE, the U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services were all excluded by the AFL-CIO from policy planning and input -- and we're all AFL-CIO affiliates. With most of the nation's immigration enforcement experts at his fingertips, to include immigration officers, agents and attorneys, Trumka has refused our union input on comprehensive immigration reform."

He went on to say the White House has ignored the concerns of immigration agents.

The AFL-CIO, and Trumka himself, have long pledged support for comprehensive immigration reform that includes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the country. But Crane's specific complaints were sparked by Trumka's comments to Yahoo News on Tuesday, when he said labor is "fully behind" reform efforts:

Unions "did have at one point some differences" on the issue, but "the entire labor movement is entirely behind this now," Trumka said. "We’ll be at the table the whole time this thing is being developed to make sure it meets the needs of workers." Once it’s drafted, he continued, "we’ll be pushing this thing [with a] full-fledged campaign" aimed at both public opinion and wary lawmakers.

Those statements were no surprise: the AFL-CIO has been open about its advocacy on the issue, and is working with the Chamber of Commerce on ideas that both sides can support for the future flow of workers.

The AFL-CIO declined to comment on the ICE Union statement.

There has been some tension between the AFL-CIO and the ICE Union in the past over a lawsuit filed by a group of ICE agents against the Obama administration. Those agents accused the administration of blocking them from doing their jobs by implementing policies such as prosecutorial discretion and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals that allow some undocumented immigrants to be stay in the country if deemed low priority.

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), an author of the hardline SB 1070 immigration law in Arizona, is representing the ICE agents, and Numbers USA, a group that advocates for reduction of immigration, is funding the suit.

"These agents are working with some of the most anti-immigrant forces in the country, forces that have long sowed division and destruction," Trumka said in a statement in August.

On Friday, the ICE agents' case was allowed to move forward after a judge ruled they have standing to sue the federal government.

Immigration Agent Union: AFL-CIO 'Shunned' Us On Reform Ideas

ICE agents union to AFL-CIO president Trumka: ‘You don’t speak for us’

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Caroline May
Political Reporter
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The ICE Agents union responded forcefully to AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka’s assertion Tuesday that “unions did have at one point some differences” but “the entire labor movement is entirely behind” the president’s immigration reform agenda now.

“No President Trumka, there are still differences within the AFL-CIO, and you don’t speak for us,” the ICE union dispatched in a press release this week.

According to the union, an AFL-CIO affiliate — currently suing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, ICE Director John Morton, and U.S.

Customs and Immigration Services Director Mayorkas over the administration’s changes to immigration policy, which they say prevents them from enforcing the law — the ICE Agents union has been barred from AFL-CIO discussions regarding the union’s stance on immigration policy.

They note the administration and lawmakers have also left them out of the policy debate.

Chris Crane, National ICE Council president, which reportedly represents about 7,000 ICE agents, officers and employees called the exclusion of de facto immigration experts under the AFL-CIO’s organizational umbrella “shocking.”

“With most of the nation’s immigration enforcement experts at his fingertips, to include immigration officers, agents and attorneys, Trumka has refused our union input on comprehensive immigration reform,” Crane said.

According to the union, the AFL-CIO is not representing their interests and claimed that the administration has “cut them off.”

“Respectfully, we see a lot of problems with the recently proposed reforms and we plan to exercise our rights as American’s to participate in the democratic process and voice those concerns publicly in the upcoming months; we hope to do so without groups like the AFL-CIO demonizing us for expressing a different opinion,” the union added in their release.
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