Real Relief for Real People: NJ Essential Immigrants Workers Urge Congress to Provide a Pathway to Citizenship in COVID Relief Package

(Newark, NJ – February 25, 2021) – As Congress debates the latest relief package, outside of the ICE facility in Newark, immigrant essential workers hosted a press conference to urge Congress to provide a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented people and pass COVID relief for all – no matter their immigration or employment status. There are more than 240,000 essential undocumented workers in New Jersey and 5 million nationwide. All 11 million immigrants – a half million of which live in New Jersey — have been left behind from every form of COVID relief. Protestors urged Congress to take action to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and inclusion in all COVID aid.

Roberto Sanchez, member of Make the Road New Jersey said “As an essential worker, I got COVID and lost my job but didn’t get any aid. I’ve lived here for more than a decade and my kids are US citizens. Every day we worry that we will be separated. We kept this country afloat during the pandemic – we deserve relief and a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants. We urge Congress to take action to include immigrants in the current COVID relief package.”

Deya Aldana, Immigration Lead Organizer at Make the Road New Jersey said “We have seen the current administration make bold changes but our immigrant communities continue to suffer without real relief. Real relief means Congress should include a pathway to citizenship for all 11 million immigrants and include immigrants in COVID aid, including stimulus checks and unemployment benefits. For 11 months, we have experienced firsthand the exclusion from COVID relief during a global pandemic even though immigrants played a critical role in our country’s road to recovering from this pandemic. We cannot wait any longer, we deserve real relief that includes a pathway to citizenship.”

Maria Arpaio, Commercial Cleaner and member of SEIU 32BJ said, “We are ready to begin building a better future for our families and our communities. We are ready for true change, for a system that treats us all with dignity and respect. This means providing Covid relief and a pathway to citizenship for the 11+ million undocumented individuals that throughout the years have worked hard and have been in the frontlines of this pandemic. It is time we receive the respect and protections we deserve.”

Emily Chertoff, Executive Director of New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children said “Our society is at risk of failing an entire generation of immigrant youth. Immigrant communities are strong but exhausted from four years of attacks by the Trump Administration and a global pandemic crisis. Without recovery for all and citizenship for all, we risk thousands of young people leaving school, losing work, and slipping into despair.”

Alejandra Sorto, New Jersey Campaign Strategist of ACLU of New Jersey said “The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing inequities within our systems and shown our nation that the path to true recovery must include all of us. For nearly a year, immigrants have been excluded from virtually all forms of federal relief, despite their critical contributions to keeping our country afloat during these unprecedented times. Congress and the Biden-Harris administration have the opportunity to right these wrongs. They must take immediate action to provide COVID-19 relief and build a pathway to citizenship for the over 11 million undocumented immigrant community members across the country. We urge our New Jersey Congressional delegation to uphold the values of equity and justice and support these efforts.”

Charlene Walker, Executive Director of Faith in New Jersey said “The new administration has made some effort to reverse the harm done to immigrant families, but Black immigrants continue to be deported at alarming numbers, migrant children are being held in a re-opened facility at the border, and legislatures continue to turn their backs on immigrant communities in the need of vital aid. Faith in New Jersey calls upon legislatures to begin redeeming the soul of this nation by acting swiftly with a path to citizenship for essential workers in the next recovery bill, pausing deportations, providing aid to immigrants, and advancing legislation that honors the inherent worth and dignity of every person.”

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Make the Road NJ
http://www.maketheroadnj.org/