N.J. Bill Would Aid Undocumented Workers
Legislation Awaits Committee Action, Needs to Pass to Help Most Vulnerable.
There are about 2.3 million immigrants in New Jersey. An estimated 400,000 to 500,000 lack legal status and, because of this, they have been excluded from much of the assistance offered by the federal and governments meant to help workers survive as the coronavirus pandemic rages across the country.
Activists want to change that. They are pushing a bill in the state Legislature that would grant to undocumented taxpayers a one-time coronavirus relief payment — $1,000 for those with children, $700 for those married without children, and $500 for others — designed to provide short-term relief and to recognize the contributions they make to the state.
The bill sets aside $35 million in the state budget to cover the payments and could help, which could help up to 35,000 residents — a number that falls short of the kind of action needed, but one that might be politically palatable at a time when the state faces a budgetary crisis. It was introduced in May, but has not moved forward. It awaits hearings in both the Senate and Assembly appropriations committees.
Bill S2480/A4171 was introduced in the state Senate by Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), and Nellie Pou (D-Passaic), along with 16 Democratic co-sponsors. The Assembly version was sponsored by Annette Quijano (D-Union), Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson), and Yvonne Lopez (D-Middlesex), with 22 co-sponsors.
The legislation is long overdue. New Jersey was hit hard by the virus early on, and once again we are witnessing an upward spike in cases — we are back at the numbers we were seeing in April but, thankfully, without the deaths. We need to re-impose limits on the economy, minimize large gatherings, and do what we can to limit exposure. For many, this is not possible, because they have no choice but to work, often more than one job, to survive.
The Ruiz/Scutari/Pou bill is designed to offer some relief. During an online press conference on Monday, advocates for the immigrant community argued that the state must pass the bill and that Gov. Phil Murphy must sign it into law. They said many in the the undocumented community have lost their jobs and are struggling to survive. This not only affects workers, they added, but businesses serving those communities.
The Rev. Dr. Prince A.Z.K Adekoya II, president of African Diaspora For Justice, said the undocumented do the jobs “that other people will not do” and patronize businesses owned by other immigrants or that keep immigrant communities afloat.
“I think it is imperative that we look into this and ask our legislature to look into this and make sure they pass this bill to save a life,” he said. “Some of these undocumented families, (they are) a family of four, family of five, six and so on. How do they expect them to survive this situation?”
Abril Barrales, owner of Ay Chihuahua restaurant in Passaic, said it was many in her community were suffering. “We have left millions of people or almost a million people behind because we exclude immigrants from relief,” she said. “That means that they have been many months suffering, and they pay taxes. They're contributing to our economy to our country. And it's really unfair that we are not including everyone in aid.”
The undocumented community, she said, “contribute nearly $600 million in state and local taxes, in addition to their federal tax contributions, but still they are not receiving any help right now.”
Ruiz, in a May 11 press release, described it as necessary because undocumented immigrants were “intentionally carved out of the federal stimulus package and cannot access unemployment insurance, despite paying into it.”
According to the coalition supporting the bill, which includes Make the Road NJ, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Latino Clergy association and the National Action Network, immigrant communities have been hit hardest because they comprise a disproportionate number of so-called “frontline workers,” or those in health care and retail. They are the ones, the groups say, who “have allowed millions of New Jerseyans to shelter in place during the worst months of the pandemic.” They do not qualify for unemployment insurance, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. and most other safety net programs. Emergency federal aid, like the one-time stimulus issued early this year and expanded unemployment, also were off limits.
The coronavirus has caused significant economic and human damage in New Jersey and across the country. Rather than finding ways to protect workers and make it easier for them to survive away from their workplaces, we have left all low-wage workers, but especially those without legal status, with a Hobson’s Choice: Go to work and potentially contract and spread a deadly virus, or stay home without a paycheck, which only creates a different kind of vulnerability for themselves, their families and their communities. So they work. They put up with the risk, put up with employers who often take advantage of them during the best of times, but now hold even greater economic power over their lives.
This is what the workers I’ve talked with tell me, the story the advocates offer. The work. They get sick and miss time. They lose their paychecks and have to turn to soup kitchens and pantries for help. Or, they lose their jobs when their employers close shop. Lacking access to aid, they turn to soup kitchens and pantries.
They shouldn’t have to beg for assistance. None of us should. That’s what government is for, to help. This bill is a modest step toward addressing this.