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ILRC's Continued Immigration Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic
We hope that you are doing well, taking care and in good health. As
this health crisis continues to devastate our global community, our
hearts are heavy. As we reflect upon this moment, we continue to
show up for our communities in the ways that are most needed.

As you know, immigrants are among the most vulnerable during the
COVID-19 crisis. As we all cooperate to reduce the spread of
COVID-19, the ILRC is taking three broad approaches to continue our
work:

Be Innovative
The New Americans Campaign (NAC), led by the ILRC, quickly pivoted to
provide remote consultations and application completion support by
phone, text message, and video; promote the online application
platform Citizenshipworks, and hold virtual information sessions and
virtual workshops. It is the culture of the ILRC and the NAC to
collaborate with partners to create new and relevant ways to pursue
our mission.

The ILRC created a COVID-19 Innovation Support Fund within the NAC to
spur creativity and innovative responses, proposed and implemented by
NAC members, to serving lawful permanent residents and newly
naturalized citizens without losing momentum.
Responding to fear and confusion among immigrants about Census 2020,
we are promoting the Census to immigrant communities through
technology and online platforms. We now conduct outreach through
online webinars, social media graphics and alerts, paid ads on
Facebook and Instagram, and telephonic conferences since our
traditional face-to-face outreach is not safe at this time.

Fight Dangerous Policies
The COVID-19 crisis underscores the enduring public health dangers
presented by jails, prisons, and immigration detention. The ILRC
joined partners from across criminal and immigrant justice movements
to call on local, state, and federal law makers to rescind policies
that result in incarceration and call for the release of incarcerated
people.

In Alameda County, the ILRC joined organizers to secure a commitment
from the District Attorney to adopt a policy that no longer requires
immigrants to serve extra time in jail in exchange for a
non-deportable charge; increased transparency and accountability with
community members; and release of people from Alameda jails and
California prisons. The ILRC redoubles its efforts to bring these
victories to other locations across the country.

Thousands of healthcare providers have reminded us that detained
people are among the most vulnerable and most forgotten in this
crisis. For some, continued detention will amount to a death
sentence. As such, the Dignity not Detention Coalition, of which we
are a founding member, has sent -
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demands to ICE, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and local elected
officials to release detained immigrants amidst the COVID-19 health
crisis.

Actress and activist Diane Guerrero amplifies these demands. On March
31, Diane shared a -
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video on her Instagram page to share the voices of those detained at
Mesa Verde and to call for release under COVID-19. This video has now
been viewed nearly 44,500 times.

Address Critical Needs
The impact of COVID-19 coincides with the implementation of new
public charge rules. Immigrant families fear that accessing critical
medical, nutrition, and housing safety net programs during this time
would jeopardize their status. USCIS -
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announced that testing, treatment, and preventive care for COVID-19
will not be considered in the public charge test, but the chilling
effect on the community remains.

To combat misinformation and fear, the ILRC produced -
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handouts, -
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social media content, and -
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webinars about the interplay between public charge rules and
COVID-19. These materials are constantly updated and shared with
community members and partners in the field to ensure immigrants and
their families can protect themselves and keep our communities safe.

Along with the nimble approaches to our work outlined above, all
staff at the ILRC are actively seeking and implementing new and
innovative ways to pursue our mission and continue the work of
fighting for a democratic society that values diversity and the
rights of all people. We are grateful for our partners in this work,
and for your enduring support at this critical time for immigrants,
their families, and our communities.

ILRC publications bring clarity to complicated issues.
Save time. Win more cases.

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