The United States Department of Homeland Security recently announced new labor protection policies that ensure immigrants working in the United States cannot be deported or reinforced. The guidelines, which were made public on Friday, January 13th, outline the procedure for undocumented employees to seek deferred action, a kind of enforcement relief, if they have been the subject of or are taking part in an investigation regarding labor law infractions.
On almost any occasion, it is against the law for an employer to hire someone who is not permitted to work in the United States. However, many still do so because it benefits them financially by allowing them to pay the employers less than necessary. According to the DHS guidelines released last week, workers who are the victims of or witnesses to a breach of their labor rights may now access a streamlined and expedited deferred action request process and apply for employment authorization. The program offers undocumented people two strong incentives to accuse their employers of wrongdoing: deferred action and the chance to get job permission.
The Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, discussed how the new procedure will aim at holding employers who take advantage of noncitizen workers accountable by encouraging all workers to assert their rights. This new policy action is the most recent in a line of initiatives by the Biden administration to aid immigrant workers, particularly those who face unjust or hazardous working circumstances. DHS claimed that it would stop conducting workplace raids targeting illegal workers and would instead concentrate on pursuing unethical companies.
