Local Elected Officials Urge Gov. Murphy, New Jersey Legislature to Approve  COVID-19 aid for Taxpaying Immigrants

Officials from Across the State Join Call for Passage of A4171, S2480 to Provide One Time Payments for Immigrants Excluded from Aid 

New Jersey — December 10, 2020: Today, a group of local elected officials sent a letter to Gov. Murphy, Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin urging relief for immigrants and their families that have been left behind from pandemic aid. In New Jersey, by some estimates, 604,615 people, including 262,527 U.S. citizens, lives with at least one undocumented family member. Pending legislation A4171/S2480 would provide one time payments to some undocumented tax filers in New Jersey. The measure has 19 co-sponsors in the Senate and 25 in the Assembly, with bipartisan support and the endorsement of the Star Ledger but has yet to receive a hearing in either house.

In the letter, the elected officials remark that “more than 8 months into the pandemic, more than a half million New Jerseyans have not received practically any government aid, including undocumented workers and business owners and their US citizen family members. They are facing increasingly dire prospects.” They urge the state legislature and Gov. Murphy to “take action now to provide aid to excluded individuals and families. As prospects for relief from Congress dim, our state must act. Our ability to survive a second wave of the pandemic depends on all families being able to access income replacement and safety net aid.”

Mayor Albert B. Kelly of Bridgeton, NJ said: 

“Undocumented workers and families in our communities are part of the very fabric of our communities- we need to provide help and support to them during these difficult times.”

Jersey City Councilman at Large Rolando R. Lavarro, Jr. said:

 “If ‘we are all in this together,’ the state legislature should pass A4171/S2480 and help all our essential workers regardless of status.”

Freeholder Sergio Granados of Union County said: 

“Due to Covid-19, New Jerseyans face unprecedented levels of unemployment, access to food, and housing issues. Similar to the vast majority of New Jersey residents who continue to struggle to provide for themselves and their families during these difficult times, many undocumented individuals are defined as essential workers. Their work on a day-to-day basis, reminds us of their invaluable contributions to our community, especially during this pandemic. Now more than ever, we need to continue to advocate and ensure that government aid and economic relief are available to all those who reside in New Jersey, no matter their legal status. I urge our state legislators to remember those families and individuals facing difficulties and continue to fight for a New Jersey that is inclusive to all.”

Freeholder Assad R. Akhter of Passaic County said: “We can not allow undocumented families in New Jersey to live and suffer in the shadows during this pandemic. These individuals work essential jobs and pay in to the tax system yet receive little back especially now in a time of need. We hope the Legislature will do the right thing and provide one-time payments to undocumented tax filers in the Garden State.”

Montgomery Township Mayor Sadaf Jaffer said: “The pandemic has touched all of our lives, but we must ensure that we safeguard the most vulnerable members of society. Thank you for helping those who need it most.”

Councilman Frank Cuesta of Elizabeth said:

“When I hear Governor Murphy say that “we are all in this together” I agree! To me, All means All. We must do our best to help our communities regardless of status. I hope New Jersey leads the efforts in this humanitarian initiative.”

Councilman Carlos M. Gonzalez, Newark said:

“It is time that we recognize the contribution of the hard-working immigrant community of our State.”

Dover Board of Education member Karol Ruiz said, “While I do not speak for the Dover Board of Education, I’m an elected official on that board, which represents a community with a significant immigrant population.  Undocumented immigrants here helped to make 8,000 masks, by hand, to give to neighbors in need. Some risked their lives to work days in local factories during the height of the pandemic, volunteering their nights to help those left sick and unemployed. Others were left with no other option than to stand in food pantry lines that stretched for blocks, just to feed their children. Nothing but selfish nativism could exclude our undocumented immigrant neighbors from life-saving aid, especially as we suffer collectively through this second wave of the coronavirus.”

Despite their contributions, undocumented immigrants are ineligible for unemployment insurance, TANF, SNAP, and most other safety net programs. In addition, the federal CARES Act stimulus payments excluded undocumented immigrant taxpayers and their US citizen spouses and children.

Lori Hohenleitner, Councilwoman, Borough of Atlantic Highlands, said:

“Undocumented tax filers in New Jersey have been contributing to the economy for years. It is time that we recognize their valuable contribution to our state and to provide support.”

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