NEW ORLEANS — Louisiana AFL-CIO President Matt Wood and Greater New Orleans Central Labor Council President Tiger Hammond and Secretary-Treasurer Chip Fleetwood issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents:
“What we’re witnessing right now is a direct attack on hardworking New Orleanians. Across the city, the people who sit in the same church pews and send their kids to the same schools as us are being harassed and even torn away from their families simply because of how they look.
“It’s clear this operation will do nothing to make New Orleans safer. Even workers with legal status are being detained and harassed on their way to jobs. This political theater only benefits the billionaire class. We will not be divided by fear. Immigrants helped rebuild New Orleans after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina—they are part of our community and our labor movement through and through.
“The Greater New Orleans Central Labor Council and Louisiana AFL-CIO—alongside the National AFL-CIO—will continue to fight for our members. We will continue training workers on their legal rights and support members who are being harassed. No matter the language we speak, New Orleans has always known what solidarity means in times of crisis: standing together and protecting one another.”
About the Louisiana AFL-CIO
The Louisiana AFL-CIO is the largest federation of local unions and labor councils in the state, representing workers across industries and fighting for good jobs and safe workplaces.
About The Greater New Orleans Central Labor Council
The Greater New Orleans Central Labor Council is one of hundreds of state and local labor councils of the AFL-CIO. We are democratically elected bodies dedicated to represent the interests of working people and make our communities better for all.