Immigrants are on the frontlines of relief and recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic, and our legislative response should address this reality.
The COVID-19 legislation (HEALS Act) that Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and GOP leaders have proposed leaves out key provisions to support immigrants, including essential workers during the pandemic. Negotiations over what will be in the final bill have begun among key White House officials, leaders in the Senate, and leaders in the House from both parties which means we have about a week to make our voices heard about what should be in the bill.
Please call your Senators and let them know you appreciate their efforts on COVID-19 legislation and you support including key missing provisions in the final bill. Below are suggested talking points.
Thanks so much for your help on behalf of immigrants!
Call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask them to:
Allow individuals in mixed immigration status families to receive stimulus checks. Including the American Citizen Coronavirus Relief Act, S. 4071 as part of the COVID-19 legislation would ensure that all U.S. citizens married to undocumented spouses or have undocumented dependents to be eligible for stimulus check. The bill should provide checks for U.S. citizen children as well. They shouldn’t be excluded because of who they are married or related to.
Enable additional immigrant doctors and nurses to help with COVID response. Including the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, S. 3599, as part of the COVID-19 legislation would ensure we have enough doctors and nurses to help with COVID-19 treatment and other health care needs.
Make COVID-19 testing and treatment available to everyone regardless of immigration status. Increasing access to testing and treatment helps ensure that everyone in a community is protected from the spread of coronavirus.