At a May Day Strong Coalition rally on Thursday, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spoke about President Trump's attacks on labor.
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00:00Thank you sis. How's everybody doing today? Are you fired up and ready to go?
00:10I just want to give a huge shout out for the courage and tenacity that Jennifer has shown
00:19as she's defended the honor of her husband, Kilmer.
00:22I think it is worth saying that we have a president that is stupid enough to believe a photoshopped image.
00:36I think it is safe to say we have administration stupid enough to admit to the Supreme Court
00:45that they made an administrative error, but they're not going to fix it.
00:50I think it is safe enough to say we have an administration that is riddled with lawlessness
00:58that they are committing crimes every single day by disobeying the orders from the Supreme Court.
01:09So I don't know about you, but I came to this country as an immigrant.
01:14And for those of us who have gotten the golden ticket, the opportunity to live up to the American dream,
01:25we hold the Constitution supreme.
01:29We have always believed that the rights that we have, that man can take away,
01:36that we can at least get our day in court and have the judiciary function to defend our rights.
01:43So I understand when I see immigrants that are so heartbroken about the land of the free and the home of the brave,
01:55when they are seeing people become cowards and not stand up to this administration.
02:00And I hear people feel embarrassed as the world overwatches the country that they look to as a pecan
02:14not ensure freedoms to all.
02:21When people watch a young woman snatched in the middle of the street by masked men who will not identify themselves,
02:32taken to a detention center without any notification, any contact with family, lawyers, their representatives in Congress,
02:45that is an image that is terrifying to the rest of the world, and it should be terrifying to us as Americans.
02:57When you have a father who has a U.S. citizen as a wife with young children,
03:07being taken to a jail cell for the worst criminals on earth to be treated as if he has committed crime
03:21when there is no crime to speak of.
03:25That is not the America we all know, that is not the America we love, and that is not the America the world looks up to.
03:36So it is up to us, Americans, to make sure we are standing up for American values,
03:46to make sure we are standing up for democratic values,
03:52to make sure that the country that once defeated a king's tyranny does so again.
03:59And today, on International Workers' Day, we are not only here to celebrate labor's contributions,
04:11but to protect the dignity of labor from an administration that is determined to erase it.
04:18In just 100 days, this administration has done more to weaken labor rights than any administration in modern history.
04:28We know that immigrant workers are the backbone of so many of our injuries,
04:34like health care, agriculture, construction, child care, and hospitality.
04:41And yet, they are often the ones that are most exploited, most unpaid,
04:47and most vulnerable to unsafe work conditions and abuse.
04:53Right now, under the Trump administration, we are seeing critical worker protection
04:58in the U.S. administration's gutted.
04:59One of their newest targets is the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, known as ILAP.
05:07This is a small but powerful office inside the Department of Labor that helps protect immigrant workers,
05:15fight child labor, and hold abusive employers accountable.
05:20But now, this administration wants to wipe it out with any regard for the people it serves.
05:30Cutting ILAP is not only eliminating oversight so corporations can exploit workers without consequences.
05:39It's about making sure billionaires keep getting richer while working people get left behind.
05:45When immigrant workers are the first to lose protections, it sends a message to all workers that they can be next.
05:58A strong labor movement means fighting for the rights of every worker.
06:04Whether you're a farm worker, a delivery driver, the meat packer, or the assembly line worker.
06:11However, your struggle is our struggle.
06:16So today, I want to thank every one of you for showing up.
06:22Thanks to every worker who showed up, who speaks out, who organizes, and who leads.
06:28Your resilience, your labor is what keeps this country going, and don't let anybody tell you otherwise.
06:35As my dear colleague and sister Chayipal said, it is our job to never stop fighting alongside you.
06:48You can always count on our solidarity, our support, our courage, our bravery to make sure this country
06:58respects your labor and your rights. Thank you so much for being here.
07:01Give it up for this amazing congresswoman!