Chipotle Workers Speak Out About Firings
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Workers fired from local Chipotle restaurants spoke out Thursday about what they want to see happen now that they are out of jobs.
About 50 workers from around the metro have been let go in the past two weeks. Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee thinks the firings are the result of a federal immigration audit.
The group claims Latino workers who couldn't immediately produce paperwork are now out of work.
They worked at Chipotle restaurants in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Stillwater, among others.
"Firing large numbers of Latino workers right before Christmas is the wrong thing to do. We demand that Chipotle stop this cruel wave of firings, and we demand that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) stop these I-9 audits that punish workers, not employers," said Brad Sigal of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAc), which is supporting the workers.
The group held a news conference Tuesday in Minneapolis.
"I don't have documents and I didn't when I started, but I've been living in this state for 9 years and have been contributing to the economy and haven't done anything wrong and have just been an active participant in this society," said one fired worker, through a translator.
Chipotle released a statement saying they were cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
So far ICE officials haven't commented on the firings.
WCCO-TV's Frank Vascellaro Reports
