Dear Friend, Every night, applause rings out across America as millions of people in communities large and small show their appreciation for the essential workers who are getting us through this crisis. It is genuine, and heartfelt, and needed. But it’s also not enough. Immigrants are among those essential workers being applauded, but they’re also being left behind in too many ways. They need us to stand up with them, and stand up for them to ensure that our elected leaders provide immigrants with access to health care and financial relief. Immigrants will help us get through the COVID-19 crisis, we all need to make sure that they get through it too. Their work is critical. Their place in our country is vital. Their humanity, courage, and the resilience they create are inspiring. On May Day, NILC and Resilience Force are partnering to launch the #ImmigrantsAreEssential campaign to make sure that immigrants have access to the support they need to get through this crisis. We are all in this together. Join us in driving these important conversations forward so that the people who are making it possible for the rest of us to stay safe and recover from this crisis can get through it too: | |
Throughout this campaign we are going to be sharing the stories of essential workers and ways that you can get involved. This pandemic has shown us clearly that our health and well-being are interdependent; if some of us are not well, none of us can be well. Yet the Trump administration is attacking immigrants to divide Americans by race, class, and birthplace, using immigrants as a political weapon to distract from his failures to protect us from this health and economic crisis. Simply put, Trump plays politics to distract from his failed leadership while tens of thousands of people are dying and more than 30 million have lost their jobs. In spite of their contributions, millions of immigrants have been excluded by Congress from access to health care and financial relief in every COVID-19 relief package passed. That’s unacceptable, and it puts all of us at risk. Everyone should have access to COVID-19 testing, health care, and treatment if they are sick. Everyone should have workplace protections and financial support, including paid sick leave and personal protective equipment. If any of us or our loved ones fall ill, none of us should have to choose between caring for our families or keeping our job. We must be a nation that values, cares for, and supports all of us, no matter what you look like, how much money you make, or where you were born. Stand with us today. #ImmigrantsAreEssential. Thank you for your support. | |
Marielena Hincapié
Executive Director
National Immigration Law Center
Saket Soni
Founder and Director
Resilience Force | |
