Zohran Mamdani's victory in the New York City mayoral election highlights a push for worker solidarity that includes immigrants. In his acceptance speech, he emphasized dignity for all and the need to fight corporate domination while ending immigration raids. The win counters claims that defending immigrants harms broader labor interests.
Zohran Mamdani's election as mayor of New York City marks a significant moment in blending labor rights with immigrant advocacy. On election night, Mamdani celebrated the contributions of immigrant communities, stating, “the victory of the Bangladeshi aunty who knocked on door after door until her feet throbbed and her knuckles ached … of the Gambian uncle who finally saw himself and his struggle in a campaign for the city that he calls home.” He argued for solidarity, declaring, “Dreaming demands solidarity … A life of dignity should not be reserved for a fortunate few. … We can be free and we can be fed.”
This approach addresses modern migration driven by exploitation in immigrant-sending countries, including enforced debt, low wages, and resource extraction. Such factors displace people and pit workers against each other, while militarism like ICE operations enforces the system. Mamdani supports a freedom agenda: family reunification, legal status for those already in the US, labor rights for immigrants, and an end to mass detentions and deportations.
Historically, unions shifted stances on immigration. The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act offered limited legalization but included employer sanctions that made immigrant workers vulnerable to retaliation, as seen in 1990s janitors' organizing efforts led by figures like Mike Garcia. By 1999, the AFL-CIO called for repealing sanctions, another amnesty, and ending guestworker programs, boosting union ties with immigrant communities.
Similar alliances have transformed politics in places like Los Angeles, where immigrant mobilization after Governor Pete Wilson's 1994 anti-immigrant campaign led to naturalizations and progressive governance. In Nebraska, Margo Juarez's election to the state senate and responses to recent ICE raids, such as at Glen Valley Foods, show growing resistance. In North Carolina, the Smithfield slaughterhouse unionization succeeded through cross-racial worker solidarity during 2006 May Day actions.
Critics of Democratic strategies, like those under Biden and Harris, argue that anti-immigrant rhetoric in 2023 bills and campaigns alienated voters and failed to counter Trump. As Steve Tesfagiorgis of Teamsters Local 320 noted, “No one is coming to save us. If we want respect, we need to fight for it ourselves.” Mamdani's win demonstrates how inclusive organizing can build broader movements against corporate power.
