Temporary protections like TPS and DACA are a band-aid for a flawed immigration system but significantly improve labor standards and wages and protect millions of workers from some of the worst forms of employer lawbreaking. -TPS has been shown to raise wages by 13% -DACA has more than doubled wages

Rep. Andy Harris, the sole Republican House member from Maryland - is a zealot on a mission, to first, deport as many current immigrants as possible, and then replace them with migrant workers on temporary visas that employers control - where workers are indentured, vulnerable, and often underpaid:

Chief Economist @joshbivens-econ.bsky.social breaks down what today's inflation means now and in the future 👇

"Bad news for anyone who believed the predictions of immigrant opponents." U.S.-born unemployment is higher under Trump. @pkrugman.bsky.social breaks it down as only he can and—as always—😍 to see @dcosta.bsky.social + @benzipperer.org work cited. paulkrugman.substack.com/p/job-growth...

Contrary to Trump and Vance's promises to help unemployed US-born workers through mass deportations, *the unemployment rate has steadily increased* for U.S.-born workers under Trump during the mass deportation era. Analysis with the latest data from @benzipperer.org and me for @epi.org:

Trump administration is radically cutting wages for migrant farmworkers in the H-2A visa program because his Labor Department admits that deportations will raise food prices. The @nytimes.com cites research from @benzipperer.org and I showing that US farmworkers will also see a $3 billion pay cut:

The Trump administration is radically cutting wages for farmworkers in the H-2A visa program - because they’ve admitted that deportations will raise food prices. This will also put downward pressure on the wages of U.S. farmworkers, reducing their total annual wages by about $3 billion.

A not-so-happy #LongCovid Awareness Day: Millions are now ill and disabled, with many left behind by society. This @latimes.com article discusses some of the severe challenges that people with Long Covid face, and the lack of a social safety net or treatments for them

Long covid and disability justice seems to not even be remotely on the radar of progressives and leftists:

We are now seeing solid evidence that Trump's increased immigration enforcement is not leading to better outcomes for US-born workers - in fact, the opposite is happening, with joblessness increasing for native-born workers as deportations increase:

El Presidente Trump dedicó relativamente poco tiempo a la inmigración en su discurso, demostrando que el apoyo publico a sus políticas migratorias es menor que antes, y volvió a presentar varias mentiras sobre la comunidad inmigrante: laopinion.com/2026/02/25/p...

One of the most blatant and orwellian lies in the SOTU speech, of which there were too many to count:

Repealing the $170 billion for ICE and CBP should also be a top demand. Will you all stand firm on zero dollars for ICE and CBP for fiscal year 2026?

DHS is deporting hundreds of thousands and canceling temporary statuses like TPS while simultaneously doubling the H-2B visa program, where migrant workers are indentured and have little power. Trump doesn't mind migrant workers as long as employers (including himself) can control & underpay them:

Yeah not only are these terrible, they bear little resemblance to other asks that party caucuses are making. I just got a Hispanic Caucus list of "non-negotiables" that has like 20 other things on it. The Senate Dems are squandering the moment in real time.

Wrote about how disappointing it is that Jon Stewart punched down on people masking at @motherjones.com, when people should mind their own business and leave mask wearers be. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Trump’s new H-2A wage rule will radically cut the wages of all farmworkers - and that appears to be the administration's explicit intention: New estimates from @benzipperer.org & me at @epi.org show farmworkers stand to lose $4.4 to $5.4 billion annually under DOL’s updated Adverse Effect Wage Rate

Workers in Merced County, CA are harvesting sweet potatoes. There's so much work at this time of year that there are multiple shifts. These workers start at 4 a.m. when it's still dark. Lamps hung on the tractor give them enough light to sort the potatoes by size into boxes. #WeFeedYou

Bernie Sanders, speaking Saturday night: www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/eugene-deb...

Data analysis from @bloomberg.com assesses the impact of current and future H-1B visa reforms on foreign workers with MBAs - finding that 70% of MBAs are hired at the two lowest wage levels, and that "prioritizing higher-paid jobs could assure H-1B status for many MBA grads":

Quick summary of my comments: The H-1B program needs better rules - including an updated prevailing wage rule, better allocation system, and a requirement that employers recruit US workers - plus real enforcement from the Labor Department, which will require additional staffing and funding for DOL:

As @ddayen.bsky.social and now the @washingtonpost.com have reported - the Trump administration has admitted their immigration enforcement efforts will lead to a spike in food prices. Their solution? Cut wages for farmworkers, already some of the lowest paid workers in the country

I want to do a little breakdown of this investigation I published today for @prismreports.org about gender-based violence in the H-2A agricultural visa program.

Thank you CA Department of Public Health for recommending that people wear an N95 mask during a significant Covid surge:

"The H-1B visa program is deeply flawed. But Trump's new $100,000 fee on employers won’t fix it," says EPI's @dcosta.bsky.social. There are much better ways to fix the H-1B program and protect workers. Learn more in Costa's @msnbc.com op-ed: www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnb...

Trump's new H-1B fee of $100K is a haphazard and not-well-targeted way to reform a visa program that is deeply flawed. To fix it, new rules are needed with labor enforcement to ensure fair conditions & pay for migrant & US workers. Here's @epi.org's Policy Watch explainer on the fee and its impact:

The amount collected from the new $100K H-1B fee will be $6.5 billion, not $14bn. The fee will be applicable to H-1B petitions for new employment after Sept 21 and for less than half of new H-1Bs, ie those who were not already in the US. In 2024, 46% of the 141,000 new H-1Bs were outside of the US.

Raids & indiscriminate immigration enforcement are disrupting farm labor & America’s food system This Thursday, EPI's @dcosta.bsky.social will speak at an @investigatemidwest.bsky.social panel on raids, reform, & the future of farm labor 9/18 @1pm ET. Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

As I wrote about for @motherjones.com, people are already crossing state lines to get the Covid vaccine—which may become more common if the CDC vaccine advisory committee recommends limiting them this week. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

Raids & indiscriminate immigration enforcement are disrupting farm labor & America’s food system. Next week, EPI's @dcosta.bsky.social will speak at a @investigatemidwest.bsky.social panel on raids, reform, & the future of farm labor. Thurs, 9/18. Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/immigratio...

A not-so-happy Labor Day for farmworkers, thanks to the Trump administration's latest move to end the USDA survey of farm employers. The only reason to do this is to lower wages for both migrant farmworkers and U.S. farmworkers - who are already some of the-lowest paid workers in the country:

David Bacon's interview with Lelo Juarez, a farmworker who was imprisoned by ICE - and likely targeted because of his union organizing and advocacy and criticism of the H-2A visa program:

Completely unqualified hack. The Trump administration is an affirmative action speak for mediocre white guys. It's kind of a reverse-DEI.

California has some of the better state labor standards enforcement agencies in the US, but even there, agencies are understaffed: A recent audit found Cal/OSHA had an overall staff vacancy rate of 32%, or 289 unfilled positions, last year: calmatters.org/politics/202...

In 2020, Arundhati Roy wrote a gorgeous, prescient essay called “The Pandemic is a Portal”. In this piece, I discuss who actually walked through it: the COVID conscious community, and why I’m proud to be a part of it. www.thegauntlet.news/p/the-pandem...

Florida is committing "enforced disappearance," a very serious violation of international human rights law. www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i... www.ohchr.org/en/special-p...

The public can't yet wrap their brain around the level of intrusion in their lives and the suffering that will be caused for millions as a result of ICE becoming the highest-funded law enforcement agency in the government:

[email protected]'s new report has estimates on the job losses that will be caused by Trump's deportations - including state by state estimates and for the construction and child care industries:

EPI's @dcosta.bsky.social was featured on @wbur.org's‬ "On Point" talking about America's reliance on migrant farm workers. Listen here: www.wbur.org/onpoint/2025...

My colleague @benzipperer.org estimates if Trump meets deportation targets of 1 million per year, it'll lead to massive job losses: 6 million total, 44% of them jobs belonging to US-born workers. If Trump gets $160 billion in new enforcement money, he might pull it off. www.epi.org/blog/the-rep...

Republican reconciliation bill will nearly triple funding for ICE, increase the detention budget from $3.4 billion to *$45* billion - giving Trump a total of $185 billion to turn the US into a police state. And there's ZERO new funds for protecting workers:

It will take a police state to remove 14 million US residents, and we're well on our way to getting there, and it's what Trump wants - at least for Democratic led states. If the reconciliation bill becomes law, the money allocated for immigration enforcement could mean there's no turning back:

I spoke with mask bloc organizers about how they prepared for the impact of tariffs on masks that they hand out to their communities for free at @motherjones.com. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...

When Huerta says “We are a power” He means the farmworker, the janitor, the nurse, the home care provider. The workers. And he’s right. You can’t detain a movement. #FreeDavidHuerta #FreeThemAll

Been saying this for weeks. In order to build a mass deportation machine to round up and deport 4% of the entire goddamn population, you must first build the police state.

ICE and other feds are dressed and armed like they’re in a war zone when going after migrant workers. Cosplaying with heavy artillery. Republicans are on the verge of *tripling* the budget for these people and quadrupling their prison budget. Scenes like these will occur much more frequently.

Immigration enforcement is and has always been anti-worker and anti-union - a tool for bosses to use against workers who might dare to stand up for their rights and demand that they be treated and paid fairly:

As NB.1.8.1 spreads, there’s only one thing spreading faster: misinformation. Here, I run down 5 of the most common errors I see circulating about COVID and encourage people to integrate airborne disease mitigation into their lives holistically. www.thegauntlet.news/p/common-mis...

The House Republican budget bill gives Trump $185 billion to carry out his extreme mass deportation agenda—while providing NO new funding for federal agencies that protect workers. Immigration enforcement would have 🚨80x🚨more money than labor standards enforcement: www.epi.org/blog/house-r...

The budget reconciliation bill from Congressional Republicans will increase immigration enforcement funding to unimaginable levels - it is currently funded at $30 billion for 2025 - the reconciliation bill would add $143 billion, giving Trump $173 billion to detain, deport, and terrorize immigrants: