Members of Two Minnesota Worker Centers Launch 86 ICE Campaign

Restaurant workers from Confluence grantees Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL) and Restaurant Opportunities Center of Minnesota (ROC-MN) are calling on business owners and their lobbying group to agree to a set of demands aimed at keeping workers and customers safe, as federal immigration enforcement shifts from Operation Metro Surge to whatever comes next.

Non-immigrant workers talked about the fear in their immigrant coworkers’ eyes, about managers who’d stepped up to support and defend their staff and others who had not, and about realizing in the course of this crisis that they are all more vulnerable when they are divided along lines of identity and background. One immigrant worker, speaking anonymously, emphasized that the solidarity from her coworkers and the flexibility and support she received from management had been essential in getting through these difficult weeks.

Perhaps surprisingly, some of the most moving words at the press conference were shared by a restaurant owner. Miguel Hernandez of Lito’s Burritos urged his fellow restaurant owners to listen to their workers and embrace the agenda of the 86 ICE Campaign:

“In the last couple months, I’ve seen an amazing amount of effort and care. People have stepped up, management and owners have stepped up. This has shown us how good we can be to our staff. The caring, that necessary care that they show the people every single day that show up [at our restaurants], we are giving that back. But just because we’ve been doing it for two months and it’s difficult, that doesn’t mean we stop. What 86 ICE stands for is to continue this work, to continue to build on this because it’s necessary. When we know better, we must do better. All the time!”

Full video of press conference here.

Additional press coverage here and here.