Americans are eligible for up to $1,200 in coronavirus stimulus money — unless they're married and filing taxes jointly with an immigrant who doesn’t have a Social Security number. Democratic leaders are demanding to change that.
As Californians we know that our own well-being is tied to everyone else’s. California’s Immigrant Resilience Fund is making headlines demonstrating that we are standing together to make sure each and every one of us—native and newcomer—has resources to prevail through the outbreak. No one stands alone. We are one beloved community. Kathleen Kelly Janus, Senior Advisor to the Governor, and Daranee Petsod of Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees joined NCG’s Emily Katz to explain how the fund came to be, some surprising new supporters, and what it means to have a ‘Si Se Puede’ moment (Yes, We Can!)
As Californians we know that our own well-being is tied to everyone else’s. California’s Immigrant Resilience Fund is making headlines demonstrating that we are standing together to make sure each and every one of us—native and newcomer—has resources to prevail through the outbreak.
Earlier this month, the World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund shared its initial responses to the needs exposed and created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Immigrants are America’s workers, and 12 million are currently on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. Immigrant workers number disproportionately among America’s health care, food delivery, and janitorial service workers. They also rank high in industries hardest hit by the faltering economy, such as caregiver, food, retail, and hospitality sectors.
Undocumented folks do not have the same safety nets provided to other members of our community. Many undocumented people work in jobs that are most vulnerable to exposure to the virus and the shutdown. There is already limited access to healthcare, so undocumented people should have the resources to be able to take care of themselves.
Nearly all of the thousands of people currently living on the streets of San Diego county are there because they couldn’t pay their rent, and that number will sky rocket if unemployed families aren’t offered either a way to pay their rent or forgiveness of their debt.
The membership of Workers Defense Project created this fund as a form of 'mutual aid' recognizing that our current economic system fails us and it's up to us to create alternative solutions for the well-being of our community during the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope to be able to give $250 to 60 families / households of low-income immigrant families in Texas.
Somali Family Service of San Diego seeks to meet the urgent needs of refugee and immigrant families in San Diego impacted by COVID-19. The communities that we serve experience housing and food insecurity, are often from low-income households, and have difficulty navigating systems and resources due to cultural and language barriers. Therefore, they are hit particularly hard by the current crisis.
Many of our immigrant community members work in temporary or low-wage jobs without access to sick leave, unemployment or the ability to work remotely. Immigrants, many of them undocumented, do essential work that sustains us all.
The Arizona Undocumented Workers Relief Fund has been established by more than 20 community groups and leaders to raise funds for undocumented working families who support our economy, industries, and communities every day, but who are not eligible to receive unemployment benefits or most of the federal disaster relief funds.
