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** Senate COVID-19 Stimulus Funds Minority Serving Institutions But Leaves Behind Immigrants And Incarcerated Individuals
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26 March 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Eiley Fong | Communications Associate
202.223.5500 | [email protected]

Washington, DC – With massive layoffs and an unprecedented public health crisis, American families’ health and economic welfare depends on bold Congressional action. While OCA commends the U.S. Senate for swiftly passing a bipartisan stimulus package for American families, workers, and healthcare systems, including over $1 billion for Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), this legislation allows other vulnerable groups to fall through the cracks.

The bill fails to provide healthcare to millions of immigrants working and living in the United States. Many immigrants are working on the front lines of this pandemic as “essential staff”: health care professionals, grocery store workers, service industry workers, etc. Despite their selfless and vital contributions to flattening the COVID-19 curve, they continue to be excluded from emergency Medicaid provisions for free COVID-19 testing and treatment. Current law restricts Medicaid eligibility to individuals who have held legal permanent resident (LPR) status for five years. The House legislation proposed last week had provisions to protect all communities regardless of immigration status, but the Senate’s bill struck that language to leave over three million Asian American immigrants without access to testing and treatment.

Benefits delivered to qualified Americans will be based on 2019 federal tax returns, if already filed, and otherwise on 2018 tax returns ([link removed]) . Although there are some hard fought unemployment provisions in the bill, many people are still left behind. This includes those who do not have a Social Security Number ([link removed]) , and those who previously had a high income but have since been laid off or underemployed.

Meanwhile, the Administration continues to detain thousands of immigrants and incarcerate over 2.2 million nationwide in unsanitary, under-resourced, and crowded conditions. These conditions leave the incarcerated elderly, pregnant individuals, and immunocompromised particularly vulnerable to critical cases of COVID-19. OCA has already sent letters to state and local governors, sheriffs, and mayors ([link removed]) urging them to release as many people as possible, but federal inaction has allowed the status quo to remain. Just yesterday, Dallas County, Texas reported that five inmates had tested positive for COVID-19. Congress needs to take the lead by providing guidance on releasing inmates and reducing new intakes before it's too late.

With new unemployment applications reaching nearly 3.3 million just last week, it is critical that the House expands the COVID-19 stimulus to include all American families. Call your Representative ([link removed]) today and ask that (1) immigrants with Tax IDs be eligible for benefits, (2) every person has access to free testing and treatment for COVID-19, and (3) immunocompromised incarcerated people and families detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement be released from jails and prisons to prevent the spread of COVID-19.


OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

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