Our statement on the ICE raids in Los Angeles

This past weekend, as hundreds of game workers flew into LA to attend Summer Game Fest, Immigration and Customs Enforcement terrorized the Los Angeles community, raiding neighborhoods, separating families, assaulting citizens, and detaining SEIU President David Huerta.

Many of us in the game industry call Los Angeles our home, and we feel these attacks on a deep and personal level. United Videogame Workers-CWA stands in solidarity with SEIU, UNITE HERE, United Farm Workers, SAG-AFTRA, The Animation Guild, IATSE, and all our fellow unions and organizations condemning these ongoing federal raids targeting workers.

We are thrilled that David has been released and echo SEIU’s calls to drop his unjust charges and for ICE to immediately end their violent raids against us and our neighbors.

The United States is built on the backs of immigrant workers, documented or otherwise, and the Trump administration’s racist and violent oppression serves only to undermine our labor and strike fear in our communities. As workers of an anti-racist union; as workers with H-1B visas; as workers with immigrant families and friends and colleagues; we condemn these abhorrent acts of outright fascism and colonial subjugation.

Our game industry is a deeply international one, and our art is built from cultures and perspectives that simply cannot and will not be contained by borders. UVW-CWA exists to protect all game workers across the US and Canada, regardless of immigration status, and we strive to extend that reach to all corners of the globe through connections and shared struggle.

When solidarity transcends nations, no human is illegal!