Immigrants Urge Action On COVID Relief, Via Billboard In Edison

EDISON, NJ – A new billboard on the turnpike near Edison, is urging state legislature to pass measures that would aid immigrant workers left out from federal assistance during the pandemic.

Grassroots immigrant rights organization, Make the Road, is behind the billboard between exits 9 and 10 in Middlesex County.

“The billboard is an attempt to educate the public about the vast need as we head into the holidays,” said Ruth Delgado, Communications Associate with Make the Road NJ.

The organization said that the pending legislation A4171/S2480, would provide a one-time payment, to all undocumented tax paying immigrant in the state. This measure has 19 co-sponsors in the Senate, and 25 in the Assembly, with bipartisan support and the endorsement from various community leaders.

Around 77 community, faith and labor organizations have supported this measure, including Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark Archdiocese.

Read More Here: NJ Advocates Demand COVID Aid For Immigrants, Find Ally In Church

“Despite widespread support, the state legislature has not held a single hearing on the legislation,” Delgado told Patch via email.

According to Make the Road, in New Jersey around 604,615 people, including 262,527 US citizens, live with at least one undocumented family member.

“Despite their contributions, including $1.2 billion to the states' unemployment coffers over the past 10 years and annual state and local tax payments of nearly $600 million, New Jersey's undocumented immigrants are ineligible for unemployment insurance, TANF, SNAP, and most other safety-net programs,” said Delgado.

The $2 trillion CARES Act gave most taxpayers unemployment benefits, and up to $1,200 in cash payments. But they conspicuously omitted the undocumented immigrants.

The federal CARES Act stimulus payments not only excluded undocumented immigrant taxpayers, but also their US citizen spouses and children.

Make the Road said they hope the billboard will get the required attention and force lawmakers into taking steps to ensure undocumented tax paying families get the help they need.

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