California governor says state may assist undocumented residents shut out of coronavirus relief

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said this week that the state’s legislature is considering passing financial relief for undocumented residents there who have been mostly shut out of novel coronavirus packages passed by federal legislators due to their legal status, saying “Californians care deeply about undocumented residents in this state.”

While many undocumented immigrants file taxes using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number given to them by the IRS, Congress said only workers who file taxes using a Social Security number are eligible for cash relief. Nor are undocumented workers eligible for unemployment insurance, even though they’ve also been affected by the pandemic. Newsom “described the exclusion of many families in the CARES Act emergency package as a ‘real concern for us,’” KTLA reports.

It should be a concern for all us, because it’s undocumented workers who keep our state’s food supply—and the nation’s food supply—running, and at risk to their health. The Center for Farmworker Families estimates that as many as 75% of farmworkers in the state lack legal status, and without their work, no one eats. They also pay billions in local and state taxes, the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said.

There has been some movement elsewhere to ensure undocumented families are protected. Earlier this week, Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot “signed an executive order explicitly ensuring that all benefits, opportunities, and services provided or administered by the City of Chicago are accessible to all residents, regardless of birth country or current citizenship status.”

“This order is more than just an official decree, it is a statement of our values as a city and as Americans,” she said in a statement. “Since COVID-19 first reached our city’s doorstep, we have been working around the clock to ensure all our residents are secure and supported, including our immigrant and refugee communities, who are among the most vulnerable to the impact of this pandemic. Here in Chicago, saying ‘we are all in this together’ means that during this crisis, no one gets left out and no one gets left behind.”

However, advocates are still fighting to win relief for undocumented residents in other areas of the country. In Washington, D.C., provisions “that would have created a mechanism to offer financial assistance akin to unemployment benefits to undocumented and non-traditional workers like street vendors, day laborers and child care workers” failed, DCist reports. “They are vital to the fabric of our society, and they are hurting as much as the rest of us,” Ward 1 council member Brianne Nadeau said.

Federal legislators have introduced legislation that would ensure the inclusion of immigrant communities in novel coronavirus relief, with advocates of undocumented domestic workers saying that while they’ll continue pressuring Congress on this inclusion, they’ll also push state leaders to protect families. And leaders should. Not just because these workers are essential, but because it’s the right thing to do.

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