Issue Position: Honor in Immigration

Issue Position

Undocumented individuals fill so many of the essential jobs that kept this country running during COVID-19. It is past time to make them full members of the country they call their home.
Undocumented individuals fill so many of the essential jobs that kept this country safe, healthy, and fed during COVID-19.

They are cleaning and disinfecting our workplaces and businesses to stop the spread and often at great personal risk. They are currently working the farms to feed us. They are also delivering our groceries and driving us from one place to another. While undocumented people continue to work and support this country during the COVID-19 epidemic, they also suffer from the same economic insecurities as many U.S. citizens today.

The IRS estimates that undocumented people pay over $9 billion in withheld payroll taxes annually. However, undocumented people remain ineligible to participate in several stimulus programs established by the government in response to the novel Coronavirus. Immigrant workers are not only on the frontlines of the essential workforce; millions of immigrants have jobs in industries hardest hit by the pandemic. Absent government relief for the nation's undocumented people, many will experience siginificant economic hardships that can impact entire communities.

While COVID doesn't discriminate by nationality, the current Administration certainly does. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez makes it a point to hold the Trump Administration accountable and inquire about the health and safety of undocumented children and all people held under federal custody during the pandemic. Alexandria is not afraid to raise the alarm over irregular practices occurring in immigration courts during COVID-19 and call for the release of all undocumented people in detention.

Our nation must recognize our history--immigrants, enslaved peoples, and refugees built this country. But they are treated dishonorably. We all do better when we create a just society that embraces our most vulnerable populations and paves a path to prosperity for all. This is why Alexandria introduced The Embrace Act during her first year in Congress, to help ensure that all persons in need are eligible for the largest programs of the social safety net.

Alexandria is in favor of:

Undocumented people having access to testing and treatment for the virus;
Providing all taxpayers with access to expanded unemployment benefits;
Allowing all income-eligible residents to receive the maximum amount in stimulus checks, regardless of immigration status; and
H.R.5071 - A Just Society: The Embrace Act

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