AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka read the riot act to the GOP presidential candidates Thursday, saying their views on immigration were “hateful and racist” and that they had taken it to “an entirely new level.”
He made the comments in a video posted on the labor federation’s official blog. He did not mention any specific remark or even name any particular candidate, but instead made a blanket accusation against all of them.
“Pundits can evaluate the political meaning [of the candidates’ remarks] if they want, but my view is very plain: These are hateful and racist viewpoints. They are not accidents. They are intended to demean and divide. There are no codes or hidden messages here. These candidates are telling us that they believe some people are superior and others are inferior,” Trumka said.
He then called on the public to embrace Pope Francis and his “message of hope” when he makes his tour of the U.S. next month. “Let’s welcome His Holiness here with our own message — that we will not succumb to fear, but instead will govern ourselves with dignity,” he said.
Immigration has been a major issue in the GOP primary, with billionaire developer Donald Trump unexpectedly becoming the front-runner partly by calling for a get-tough policy on immigration that would build a wall on the southern border and end birthright citizenship, among other changes. Other candidates such as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker have shifted further against immigration since Trump’s rise in the polls.
Trumka’s rhetoric represents a relatively new position for organized labor. Historically, the movement viewed immigrants with suspicion, seeing them as unfair low-wage competition to native-born American workers. Even the late Latino labor leader Cesar Chavez, president of the United Farm Workers, urged his members to report illegal immigrants to law enforcement during the 1970s.
The composition of the labor movement has shifted in recent decades, though, with some unions having significant success in organizing industries heavily represented by immigrant workers, particularly the service and hospitality sectors. Under Trumka’s leadership, the AFL-CIO has been particularly strong in supporting pro-immigration policies.
