Federal immigration agents halted a bus transporting farm workers in Western New York, detaining several union organizers associated with the United Farm Workers. Rep. Dan Goldman expressed grave concern, describing the incident as a "deeply disturbing" misuse of immigration authority to intimidate labor leaders. He criticized the tactics as reminiscent of past governmental efforts to suppress labor movements through fear and surveillance, drawing parallels to historical abuses against figures like Cesar Chavez. This event highlights ongoing tensions between labor rights and immigration enforcement in the United States.
The prospect that the federal government is using its immigration authority to target, silence and intimidate labor leaders is a chilling abuse of power, reminiscent of a dark time decades ago when the FBI used fear, surveillance, and xenophobia in an attempt to crush the labor movement and smear Cesar Chavez.
According to Ithica.com, federal agents carried a list of the names of United Farm Workers union organizers and removed them from the bus.
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