December 4, 2000. Just four years ago, Congress enacted, and the president signed, the toughest anti-immigrant legislation in decades. The players are operating from different motives.
Labor sees organizing potential in workplaces now dominated by immigrant workers.
Business is interested in a stable work force in a time of labor shortages. And politicians have recognized the voting strength of immigrant and ethnic communities. Earlier this year, the AFL-CIO proposed ending sanctions against employers who hire undocumented alien workers and urged a general amnesty for the five million or more undocumented immigrants believed to be living in the United States. The demand for a repeal of employer sanctions was a remarkable turnabout. The AFL-CIO had been a staunch defender of the program since it was enacted in 1986.