(American Apparel advertisement.)
Businesses have a common interest with immigrants, who often supply cheap labor with little complaint. This alliance has drawn the ire of anti-immigration groups in the past, and it is currently a cause of controversy in Arizona. That’s why individual companies are reluctant to publicly declare their support for more generous immigration laws, and pro-business lawsuits against restrictive policies are taken up by chambers of commerce instead.
But L.A.-based American Apparel has come forward as the face of pro-immigration industry. The company has a banner plastered across the top of its factory, reading “American Apparel es una compania rebelde,” or “a rebel company.” The slogan advertises the company’s stance against sweat shops, as well as its support for legalizing all immigrants.
Over the past few months, the company has been running a section on its website called “Legalize L.A.,” where bloggers voice the company’s opposition to ICE raids. The company also touts its fair treatment of immigrant workers (it doesn’t say whether they are legal or illegal), free English classed and bilingual workplace.
Last December, the company took out an ad in the New York Times, which called for legalizing the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the United States. The ad read in part:
It’s time to give a voice to the voiceless. Businesses are afraid to speak to the media about immigration, frightened of reprisals by government agencies. But we cannot just sit in the shadows and watch the government and politicians exploit and misrepresent this matter to advance their own careers.
Migration and economic experts generally agree that the productivity and the hard work of immigrants improves the economy, makes goods more affordable and available to US citizens, and creates more jobs for US workers. Immigrants not only increase the wealth of the nation, they have contributed significantly to major scientific, medical, and industrial advertisements, as well as the arts. Many of them have become great entrepreneurs too.
So far, there has been no significant backlash. While a few restrictionists are calling for a boycott of American Apparel, it’s fair to say these types wouldn’t be buying the company’s uber-trendy (and often baffling) clothing anyway. For the big city hipsters who favor American Apparel already, progressive political values are just an added bonus. We will have to wait and see whether other businesses follow this company’s lead and come out into the open with their pro-immigrant politics.
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