Last Friday, February 6th, the Immigrant Workers Center held a large general assembly for worker members. The meeting was dedicated to discussing a central and pressing question: how can we organize ourselves in the current context to confront the escalating assault on the rights of workers and migrants? This meeting came at a critical political juncture, marked by a proliferation of anti-immigrant laws, both recently enacted and still under consideration, which directly threaten stability, dignity, and the rights to work and residency.
The assembly witnessed broad participation from migrant workers across various sectors—sectors that underpin the economy, yet whose workers are left in precarious situations and without genuine protection. This diversity reflected a single reality: the attack on migrants is not isolated but systematic, affecting all those working in temporary or precarious conditions.
Discussions focused on new laws and policies that exacerbate vulnerability and facilitate exploitation, such as tightening residency requirements, linking legal status to the employer, weakening complaint and protection mechanisms, and expanding impunity for employers. Participants emphasized that these policies do not target migrants alone but are also used as a tool to exert pressure on the entire working class and reduce working conditions for everyone.
The assembly discussed in depth ways to organize collectively to confront these challenges, both legally and in the workplace. Experiences were shared regarding the daily violations workers face, including wage theft, unpaid work hours, threats of dismissal or deportation, and the deliberate silencing of anyone who attempts to object or demand their rights. It was emphasized that fear and isolation are the primary weapons upon which these violations are built and at collective action is the only response capable of breaking this reality.
The assembly convened in several languages, a clear political move reflecting the center’s commitment to building a grassroots, membership-based organization capable of genuinely, not just symbolically, representing migrant workers. Those present expressed their commitment to moving forward in building a strong, deeply rooted organization that leads the struggle from the ground up and links legal defense, workplace organization, and political action in the streets.
The assembly concluded that the next stage requires a shift from reaction to organized action and from individual complaints to collective power. The current attack on migrants is an attack on the right to live and work in dignity, and the only effective response is a broad, collective organization capable of confronting and sustaining the struggle.
This gathering was not a mere passing discussion, but a practical step in building a collective force for migrant workers. What was achieved is the beginning of a long process of organization and mobilization, the chapters of which will continue in the next phase and in four languages, affirming that
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