Yesterday, many immigrants in California hoping to sign up for the state’s landmark relief program reported they couldn’t get through, with phone lines crashing early on, reports Miriam Jordan in The New York Times. In the first 90 minutes, one of the 12 nonprofits processing applications received 630,000 calls.

“The $75 million cash assistance program, awarded on a first-come first-served basis, was being conducted almost entirely by telephone to avoid hazardous in-person contacts. The available funding will allow only about 150,000 immigrants to benefit, according to state officials.”

This morning I revisited the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Memorandum on Identification of Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During COVID-19 Response. Rightfully so, it includes an exhaustive list of workers in food and agriculture — and does not touch on immigration status. As a result, many immigrants — those with and those without legal status — are deemed essential. But, with the exception of programs like California’s, neither the undocumented nor their U.S. citizen family members are essential enough for financial assistance.

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of Noorani’s Notes. Have a story you’d like us to include? Email me at [email protected].

PROUDLY ESSENTIAL – The pandemic has underscored the contributions of immigrants like Yasin Kakande, a journalist and author from Uganda currently working as a home health aide, who penned a New York Times opinion piece about his experience. “We are caring for the sick, the elderly, the disabled, children and babies. We’re delivering your food and packages, working on your farms, in your factories and warehouses. Pandemic or not, this work has always been essential.” Kakande makes the case that the government needs to support these essential workers: “We need the political will to enact compassionate, realistic and decent reforms that mitigate, reduce and ultimately eliminate the barriers that prevent so many of us from making a living wage. We must think about those who are underpaid and exploited, including immigrants who flee terrible situations in their homelands, come here to make an honest living and are grateful to pay taxes.”

TEXAS – A new Rice University study finds that in 2018, the state of Texas generated $420 million of revenue thanks to undocumented immigrants, reports Benjamin Wermund in the San Antonio Express-News. In 2018 alone, undocumented Texas residents “paid some $2.4 billion in state sales taxes, property taxes and consumer taxes on gasoline, vehicle inspections and more, the study estimated. It estimated they cost the state just more than $2 billion in education, health care and prison costs.”

PUBLIC CHARGE – According to a new study from the Urban Institute, families with at least one member without a green card were reluctant to use public benefits in 2019 because of the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule, Suzanne Gamboa reports for NBC News. “Among adults in households most likely to be directly affected by the rule — those with at least one family member who was not a legal permanent resident — 31 percent reported avoiding benefit programs in 2019, compared to 21.8 percent in 2018.” Of course, in the context of COVID-19, this is particularly alarming. “Many worry that immigrant families may be afraid to enroll in public programs that expand access to medical testing and treatment for COVID-19, putting into sharp relief the public health risks of these chilling effects,” said the authors of the study.

PUBLIC HEALTH EXPERTS – In a letter addressed to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield, more than two dozen health experts criticize the Trump administration for using a public health law to seal off much of the border, reports Priscilla Alvarez in CNN. “[H]ealth experts argue the order invoked in March appears to be intended to halt immigration, not serve a public health purpose.” The restrictions, which could remain in place even as the country begins to reopen, bar most migrants seeking refuge from entering the country.

GIVING – Research from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy found that less than 0.5% of local funding in 2017 and 2018 went to pro-immigrant, pro-refugee groups, reports the TheNonProfit Times. In fact, “barely 1 percent of funding from the largest foundations in the country went to organizations serving immigrants and refugees, with national networks and grassroots groups ‘particularly underfunded.’”

NEW REPORT – The Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force (LEITF) and Police Education Research Foundation (PERF) have collaborated to produce a new report: “Building Trust with Immigrant Communities: Best Practices for Law Enforcement Agencies in Smaller Cities and Towns.” The report highlights low-cost, innovative strategies that have proven effective in developing relationships with immigrant communities. The police chiefs and sheriffs interviewed outline the ways they have successfully overcome language barriers, cultural differences and in some cases, mistrust of law enforcement agencies when conducting outreach to their immigrant communities.

Stay safe, stay healthy,

Ali