Activists Assemble Caravan on New Jersey Turnpike to Demand Funding for All Tax-Paying Essential Immigrant Workers

Governor Murphy and NJ Legislature Ignored Pleads for COVID-19 Relief for Workers who Kept NJ Middle-Class Families Safe During the Pandemic—

NJ FY2022 Budget Excludes Tax-Paying Essential Immigrant Workers from Relief 

WOODBRIDGE, NEW JERSEY – June 29, 2021 – After their requests for negotiations have been repeatedly ignored by Governor Phil Murphy and the Democratic majority legislature, #YNosotrosQue (which translates to “What about us?”) activists assembled a large caravan parade in Woodbridge last night to elevate the suffering their community has faced during the COVID-19 pandemic the last 15 months.

The caravan blocked traffic on the northbound side of the New Jersey Turnpike. View the Facebook Live video here, as well as drone footage of the event available here.

Immigrant advocates are fighting for essential immigrant workers in New Jersey who have not received any state or federal aid. While many New Jerseyans experienced layoffs, most of them received some form of COVID-19 relief or qualified for Unemployment Insurance. Even those who had the luxury of working from home during the pandemic, and received stimulus aid, depended on the labor of essential immigrant workers who kept the state running during and after the shut-down of essential services. Despite contributing over $1 billion to the unemployment system over the past decade alone and $1.6 billion annually in federal, state, and local taxes, essential immigrant workers in NJ have not received any form of state or federal relief.

In the words of Trissy, a 33-year old immigrant woman and a mother of two young children, “I have never received a dime of federal relief. I lost my job early last year, followed by my husband losing his. To make matters worse, my family and I caught the virus and have been searching for help to pay for medical expenses, rent, and food. I am still struggling to survive while the state opens back up and fear I may lose my home. Governor Murphy, you can’t be progressive when you’re leaving behind 90% of the essential workers in New Jersey.”

“I’ve invested my life in taking care of my family—both my elderly parents and my children; however, since COVID-19 took control of our state, my entire family contracted the deadly virus and I still have lingering effects from it as a result. I want to work. I am working part-time and to the best of my ability, but my lungs were compromised and I have permanent lung damage. I ask Governor Phil Murphy and the New Jersey state legislature to please have compassion for my families and those alike. I’ve incurred debt as a result of the pandemic and am unable to help my children pay for their college. As any parent would feel, I have a sense of guilt not being able to help them. Please help me help them.” – Miran Mijangos

New Jersey has the resources to provide relief for essential immigrant workers but Governor Murphy and the Legislature failed to act—NJ will not get out of the economic downturn without addressing the needs of immigrant workers, who are workers of color, women and children. The legislature just approved a record-high $46.4 billion budget that includes a $16.5 billion surplus.

The budget process has been criticized by some advocates because it was rushed, not open to the public, and negotiated by power structures controlled by three white males. This process excluded the voices and concerns of people of color, such as essential immigrant workers who today continue to demand relief.

The Excluded New Jerseyans Fund announced by Gov Murphy earlier only allocated $40 million of federal aid, which activists note translates into a mere $96 per essential immigrant worker who deserves relief. Advocates insist that our state would not be able to run without our essential immigrant workers. These workers deserve dignity; they should not be treated as expendable cheap labor during an election year for both Governor Murphy and the Legislature.

With the state’s FY2022 budget about to be signed, these advocates will continue to demand that the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund provides real relief to all tax-paying essential immigrant workers. Advocates demand an additional allocation of $1 billion in recovery aid to be included in this fund, by executive order. Currently, the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund would only provide relief to 10% of those who need help. They note that $40 million in relief funds is simply not enough, as opposed to the thousands of dollars each New Jersey citizen received throughout the pandemic.

Advocates will continue to remind voters and elected officials that it is not a progressive value to leave behind 90% of essential workers from the pandemic recovery aid coming from Washington D.C. through the $6 billion dollars in the American Rescue Plan. They argue it is time for Governor Murphy and the NJ Legislature to do the right thing by NJ’s working families and provide pandemic relief to all tax-paying essential immigrant workers. Despite the legislature approving the budget without the extra funding requested by the Latino Legislative caucus, the governor and legislature can still add funding and utilize American Rescue Plan funds.

According to the governor’s statement back in May, the Excluded Workers Fund provides funds for “New Jerseyans who have previously been ineligible for federal assistance, including ITIN holders and others previously excluded from COVID relief assistance such as federal stimulus checks or unemployment insurance. The Excluded New Jerseyans Fund will provide a one-time cash assistance benefit of up to $2,000 to households with incomes up to $55,000 that can demonstrate they have suffered economic hardship due to COVID-19.”

Advocates explain that the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund was a step in the right direction but it’s not enough; it excludes 90% of workers who need relief. The #WhatAboutUs / #YNosotrosQue campaign invites supporters to take action by contacting Governor Philip Murphy and New Jersey State Treasurer Elizabeth Maher Muoio on their website: njexcludedworkers.com. According to the coalition, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted communities of color in New Jersey the most, and continuing to ignore the needs of 460,000 essential immigrant workers and their 127,000 New Jersey-born children is unconscionable.