The Nation - Organized resistance to immigration enforcement in the United States has deep roots, from the Underground Railroad to the present. Our current movements to subvert inhumane, racist immigration laws are directly tied to the 1980s, when US-backed violence and economic deprivation in Central America displaced millions of people. The Reagan administration denied asylum to the overwhelming majority of refugees. In response, churches, workers, and grassroots activists built the modern sanctuary movement, providing shelter and support to those fleeing violence. This underground network shielded thousands and reshaped public debate, challenging the US government’s role in fomenting the violence driving migration and the responsibility to shelter refugees that US foreign policy had, in part, created.
Hospitality workers have long played a vital role in sanctuary movements. Bars, restaurants, and hotels have been crucial spaces for organizing and mutual aid, and many hospitality workers have collaborated discreetly with advocacy groups to connect undocumented colleagues and their families with legal and financial aid while shielding them from detection.
The hospitality industry is fundamentally about creating spaces where people feel safe and valued. This ethos extends beyond customers to include our coworkers. Mutual aid, a practice rooted in solidarity and collective support, is how we uphold this ethos when systemic failures expose our most vulnerable colleagues to harm. When the state targets immigrant workers, it is not just an attack on individuals; it is an assault on the core principles of what it means to be hospitable.
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