From Moms Rising (https://www.momsrising.org/):
Immigrants are putting their lives on the line to keep our health care system and our economy going [1], and are essential to America’s recovery, but have largely been left out of COVID-19 relief!
Quick signature at https://action.momsrising.org/sign/immigrants-covid19-relief: Tell the administration and Congress immigrants must be included in COVID-19 relief! *When you click, you’ll automatically sign on if we already have your information.
Immigrants are essential workers on the frontlines of COVID-19. In the health industry alone immigrants make up 16 percent of healthcare workers, 26 percent of home health care workers for the elderly and 23 percent of the workers in disinfection in the U.S. (like soap and cleaning manufacturing). [2] Doctors are working every day across the country to bring an end to coronavirus, and in the U.S. more than 25 percent of those doctors were born in another country. [3]
Immigrants don’t just work in the health industry, they contribute as essential workers taking on many dangerous jobs amid a global pandemic. For example, 28 percent of janitors and building cleaners are immigrants. [4]
Immigrants are also helping keep food on the table, making up 31 percent of agricultural employees and 26 percent of workers in food and beverage manufacturing. [4] Their hard work every day, during these unprecedented times, is feeding the nation and fueling our healthcare response.
Click to sign: Support immigrant essential workers by telling Congress to make sure they are included in the COVID-19 relief package! *When you click, you’ll automatically sign on if we already have your information.
Our petition reads:
Dear Members of Congress and the Administration:
Immigrants make up 16% of healthcare workers, 26% of home health care workers for the elderly, and 23% of the workers in disinfection in the U.S. and are putting their lives on the line to fight COVID. I am writing to ask you to take action NOW to support immigrant families as part of the next COVID-19 relief package. This pandemic has highlighted the role that immigrant health care and essential workers play alongside their native-born colleagues on the front lines of this fight and how much the health of our nation depends on the contributions of these workers. Moreover, effective public health responses require attention to all community members, as a pandemic response that excludes any members of our communities will weaken its effectiveness. None of us can be healthy if any one of us is denied access to testing, care, and economic relief. In the next COVID relief bill, we ask that you support the following actions to support immigrant families:
- Provide no-cost testing, treatment, and vaccines for all low income immigrants through Medicaid.
- Include immigrants and their citizen family members in the stimulus.
- Extend work permits for individuals with DACA or Temporary Protected Status.
- Release immigrant children and their families from detention together and ensure access to phones, sanitary conditions, and quality medical care for anyone in detention.
- Extend eligibility for emergency relief grants to students regardless of immigration status.
- Do not permit transfer of funds for immigration enforcement and do not include supplemental funding for ICE or CBP in COVID relief legislation.
Immigrants are putting their lives on the line to keep our health care system and our economy going, and are essential to America’s recovery. Let’s make sure to include immigrants in the next COVID relief legislation!
Don’t forget to sign! Tell Congress to include immigrants in the next COVID-19 relief package. *When you click, you’ll automatically sign on if we already have your information.
The more people who speak out, the bigger our impact. Please take a moment to forward our action link to your friends and family and share our action link on social media: https://action.momsrising.org/sign/immigrants-covid19-relief/
Together we are a powerful voice for the health of families.
P.S. Are you an immigrant who is on the frontlines of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic (health care, home health aids, sanitation, and other essential positions)? Are you an immigrant who does not qualify for federal COVID-19 relief? Please share your experience with us here: https://action.momsrising.org/survey/immigrant_health_stories/
[1] ABC News, Latinos, many with essential jobs, disproportionately affected by COVID-19 [2] Migration Policy Institute, Immigrant Health-Care Workers in the United States in 2018 [3] Reuters, U.S. relies heavily on foreign-born healthcare workers [4] Center for Migration Studies, US Foreign-Born Essential Workers by Status and State, and the Global Pandemic
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