Friend, In these challenging and uncertain times for all humanity, our heart goes out to everyone suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic, including low-income immigrants who make up a significant portion of the U.S. population. In our 40-plus years, we have seen our share of crises. But this crisis is different and is impacting all of us, though not equally. COVID-19 is not only a highly infectious virus that threatens our health and well-being, it is a disease that causes havoc in our lives, both financially and emotionally. As of this week, close to 5 million workers in our country are projected to lose their jobs — one million just in the month of March. On one hand, low-wage workers may feel they have no choice but to expose themselves to greater risks. On the other, they have little to no health care coverage or rainy-day savings to rely on. For low-income immigrants, who include health and homecare workers, those in the agricultural, restaurant or other food services sectors, delivery workers, airport staff, grocery store employees, and small business owners, any loss of income or prolonged sickness can be catastrophic. Ironically, while being the most vulnerable, these low-income immigrants are essential to our nation’s response to the current crisis. As in the six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area that have been under a shelter-in-place order — now expanded to the entire state of California — people all across the country will be relying heavily on those providing essential services, including their local grocery store workers, restaurant delivery staff, and pharmacists, to get through the next few weeks, and possibly months. Many of these workers are immigrants or other low-wage workers. NILC staff has been reflecting on the moment. This global pandemic is showing us how interconnected and interdependent we all are. In times of crisis, our weaknesses as a society get amplified, and we are seeing that in our fractured health care system and economy. As businesses and communities begin to close their doors across the nation, we see opportunities to envision new doors that will lead us to a more inclusive and healthy society. With that vision in mind, we’ve been thinking about our responsibility as an institution toward our community of low-income immigrants, to each other as staff, and to our movement and philanthropic partners. NILC is mobilizing on several fronts to defend low-income immigrant communities across the United States. We are leading the fight in Congress to ensure that immigrants get the same access to COVID-19 testing and treatment as their neighbors and community members. We are working with state partners to identify ways state and local governments can support low-income immigrants during this epidemic. We’re doing what we do best: providing accurate and timely information so immigrants can make the day-to-day decisions they need to make. We’re doing this by informing them — and those who work with them — about their rights in this rapidly changing landscape. And we’re pushing back on dangerous efforts to demonize and scapegoat immigrants. We’re also calling for a halt to enforcing the administration’s rule about “public charge.” We’re all at risk if immigrants are afraid to seek care and testing, and now more than ever the dangerous chilling effect of the public charge wealth test threatens the public health of many. We are supporting our allies and partners during this time of greatest need. As the federal government is failing us in its response to this epidemic, communities and direct service organizations all over the country are doing their part to feed, shelter, and support affected people. Over the coming weeks, we will be deploying additional funds to directly support low-income immigrants through our partners. Internally, we prioritized focusing on our staff’s health and have switched to an all-remote status as of last week. We are putting in place sound business continuity measures to ensure that all staff and consultants are paid on time, offering additional paid sick leave that includes caring for a loved one, and providing monetary support for emergency needs. Our commitment to our staff is that we are here during this time of crisis and we will continue to be responsive to their needs. We are committed to keeping you informed of our continuing response to this crisis. Despite the challenges, we are confident that through the resilience of our people and continued support of each of you, we will get through this together. This is a time to tap into our moral imagination. We are hopeful that this challenging moment can provide an opening for us to emerge even stronger. Wishing you and your loved ones safety and health, Marielena Hincapié
Executive Director
National Immigration Law Center | 
