Following the implementation of a severe immigration policy by the Trump administration according to which illegal immigrants are subject to criminal charges and face deportation, the garment industry of the USA is facing the heat with raids and subsequent arrests, conducted by the Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE).
While the garment manufacturing industry across the country has taken a hit with the protests, among the most affected is Los Angeles’ garment sector, which leads in domestic garment production, accounting for 83 per cent of the nation’s cut and sew apparel sales. According to Garment Worker Center, a workers’ rights organisation, Los Angeles alone has 45,000 immigrant workers, who are involved in cutting, sewing and making apparel products. These arrests from various US companies including Ambiance Apparel and Home Depot, have triggered fear among the workers.
Factories have reported delayed shipments and reduction in production in the wake of raids. Such a crackdown has shaken the USA’s garment, apparel and fashion industry as a whole. In this regard, Susan Scafidi, founder and director of the Fashion Law Institute at Fordham Law School, feared a large decline in garment production in the USA, in the absence of immigrant workers. She also mentioned that replacement of these workers would be very difficult as garment manufacturing by the US population is deemed unglamorous and their preference lies in the fashion field.
Carolina Crespo, Co-founder of the apparel brand, Everybody.World also expressed a similar sentiment. She talked about how Americans don’t have training for the kind of work garment workers do because of the lack of cultural connection.
As per an analysis by Fwd.us – an immigration and criminal justice reform advocacy organisation, over one-third of 300,000 workers manufacturing garments and footwear in the USA are immigrants. Their analysis further mentioned that 30,000 workers, who are mostly involved in pattern-cutting, finishing, packing and sample-making, are undocumented and of these undocumented workers two-thirds have lived in the country for 10 years and longer.
Further, the Trump administration has also issued orders to ICE to conduct and increase the number of workplace inspections across the country to single out more immigrant workers. Expressing disappointment, Steve Lamar, President of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), emphasised the contribution of immigrant workers from Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa in fueling the USA’s garment sector.
With more protests planned in the country, Nuncio also shared how immigration status of workers is used up against them by the garment manufacturers, if they complain. She said that the bosses threaten and intimidate the workers by telling them that they’ll inform ICE about the workers’ details, in case the workers have grievances about wages or breaks.
