Testimony on Exclusion of Immigrants from Government’s COVID-19 Response

The exclusion of immigrants from critical government relief, combined with the Trump administration’s cruel efforts to arrest and detain immigrants during a public health crisis, is an acute moral travesty. Immigrants are overrepresented among “essential workers,” comprising roughly 6 million of the workers in front-line industries, while also being among the hardest hit by job losses due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, millions of immigrants have been left out of government relief packages. The NYCLU urges the New York City Council to urge Congress to go farther in expanding aid to immigrant communities and reign in the abuses of the current administration, and to use its own resources to fill these gaps.