Recent national news headlines have focused on Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids at workplaces throughout Los Angeles, escalating arrests and related protests. That's led to a local response from North Carolina business owners.
The new initiative, “4th Amendment Workplaces,” aims to ensure that immigrant workers and their employers understand their constitutional protections from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government. It was organized by Siembra NC, a grassroots immigrant rights group.
Co-Director Nikki Marin Baena points to the unrest in Los Angeles and says violations to immigrant workers are just the tip of the iceberg.
“In some cases, now we’re seeing First Amendment violations of people who are protesting peacefully. And that’s actually part of the reason that we’re trying to get the word out there that workers have rights, employers have rights, business owners have rights, and that those rights are guaranteed by the constitution, and that we don’t believe that and federal agent is above the constitution.”
So far, 88 workplaces across North Carolina have signed on to participate, with in-person and virtual trainings at nightclubs, restaurants, coffee shops, and more.