This week in immigration news — April 9, 2020
Daniel, a DACA recipient who works as a nurse, fears being deported
In the midst of the Coronavirus crisis, DACA recipients working in the health care sector fear that the Supreme Court may decide in a few months to deport them. Daniel, a nurse who lives in New Jersey, is one of 27,000 health care workers on the frontlines of the pandemic that the Trump administration would like to be able to deport.
A Haitian immigrant exposed to Coronavirus is removed from deportation flight at last minute
A Haitian immigrant who had been exposed to the Coronavirus while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody was scheduled to be deported to Haiti. After an outcry from immigrant advocates, including Florida Representative Frederica Wilson (D-24), he was removed from the flight, although the flight still departed to Port-au-Prince.
Advocates have been concerned about a possible outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Haiti, which lacks the health care infrastructure for a robust response to the illness.
Undocumented immigrants left in uncertainty during the Coronavirus crisis
Nearly 11 million people were left out of Congress’s $2 trillion Coronavirus relief package. Since people who are undocumented lack access to benefits from the stimulus package, as well as unemployment insurance, these immigrants are left in a state of uncertainty and anxiety as businesses close, but bills continue to come in.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot signs order mandating Coronavirus relief for all residents
Mayor Lori Lightfoot has signed an executive order mandating that all residents of Chicago—whether or not they are citizens—have equal access to COVID-19 benefits and services that have been set up by the city.
Michael Alderman, alderman for Chicago’s 22nd ward, praised the mayor’s decision to be inclusive of all residents in the relief effort. He pointed out that individuals who are not citizens do not qualify for unemployment insurance or the federal government’s stimulus checks, meaning that they are among the city’s most vulnerable during this unprecedented time.
