“With this pandemic, individuals get $1200, couples get $2400, everybody gets unemployment, but what about immigrants?...We’re not ghosts, we are human beings.“
—Norma, King County
“If we don’t get any unemployment benefits from the state, we’re going to be in deep trouble.”
—Juan, Seattle
We need $100M in emergency pandemic relief for undocumented workers
Washington State is home to more than 250,000 undocumented immigrant workers, but federal rules exclude them from unemployment and stimulus programs. They’re facing this crisis without a safety net.
In workers’ own words…
“ I’m unemployed now but my immigration status does not allow me to apply for unemployment. So I have been looking for a new job. I started working at Super Saver Food like 4 days ago. But the pay is not really good. It’s $13.65/hour. And the schedule is all over the place…If I get another job in the morning, I can’t come in for all my shifts here. After the rent, the biggest bill I have is the cell phone bill to make sure we don’t lose communication with our family. Together that’s about $2000 a month I need. I talked to a lot of people and filled out a lot of forms and applications and I’m really stressed out.”
Click here to read Norma's full story
“ I’m still working 18 or 19 hours per week, but I used to work like 31 or 32 hours. I was working as a server, server assistant, or bar attendant, so we got paid just minimum wage and depend on tips. But now the restaurant is only open for to go orders, so not a lot of people are taking care of us in their tips like they used to. But I’m still working. My roommates have not been working at all. They went back to work last week, but they sat at home for two months. That’s a long time. None of us got anything from the government because of our immigration status.”
Click here to read Juan's full story
What we can do
More than 430 organizations, including Working Washington and Fair Work Center, have called on Governor Inslee to create an emergency relief fund for undocumented workers.
Undocumented folks are overrepresented in industries that have been decimated by the pandemic, including restaurants, hospitality, landscaping, and construction. They’re facing the prospect of serious illness and loss of income, but are excluded from unemployment benefits and the $2 trillion dollar federal stimulus package. Read our full letter to the Governor and the legislature here. We must urge Governor Inslee to create the Worker Relief Fund at $100 million dollars!
