Several Democratic-led states are using workplace protections to push back against President Trump’s immigration crackdown. New laws in Washington, California, New Jersey, and Illinois aim to stop employers from using workers’ immigration status as a tool to silence complaints about labor violations. Washington’s new law, for example, bans threats related to immigration status in retaliation for speaking out. These measures respond to a rise in workplace raids and deportations, as well as reports of employers threatening to report workers to ICE. While federal law also bars retaliation, advocates say states are stepping in where federal enforcement has weakened.
See "Blue States Combat Trump’s Migrant Crackdown Using Workplace Law", Chris Marr, Bloomberg Law, June 26, 2025