John, 

Tens of thousands of immigrant New York families have been shut out of ALL relief and safety net programs just because of their legal status. For a whole year, they’ve put their bodies on the line to keep our state running, while others have been dealing with job loss or reduced hours and are struggling to keep a roof over their heads and food on their tables. 

The New York Legislature can and must fully invest in the Excluded Worker Fund to ensure the health and recovery of every New York family. NYS has relied on our immigrant workforce to get the job done before the pandemic and, now, even during our darkest times, immigrants remain essential to New York State's economic recovery. Our immigrant neighbors, friends, and family-members need our help to ensure an inclusive budget passes! Tell your state representative to support an investment of $3.5 billion in the Excluded Worker Fund to ensure the health and recovery of every New Yorker!

The Excluded Worker fund will provide retroactive, direct cash assistance to our immigrant neighbors who cannot access unemployment benefits, stimulus checks or other government assistance. The issue is so critical to the well-being of New York families that right now some of our members, directly impacted individuals and allies are leading press conferences, rallies and hunger strikes across the state. 

The NYS Budget is close to being finalized—but the legislature still hasn't fully invested in the Excluded Worker Fund. We need to act now and demand our representatives prioritize the health and recovery of every New Yorker!

Thanks for fighting with us,

Murad Awawdeh 
Interim Co-Executive Director