Coalition Responds to Gov. Murphy’s Announcement on Excluded New Jerseyan Fund

NEW JERSEY — Immigrant, worker and advocacy organizations responded to Gov Murphy’s announcement to reopen the Excluded New Jerseyan Fund and replenish the funds that expired at the end of 2021 with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan:

“A half million New Jerseyans have been excluded from nearly every form of aid during a pandemic that has disproportionately taken their lives. Following a strong community reaction to the news of changes to the fund last week, Governor Murphy made the right move by re-opening and replenishing the Excluded New Jerseyan Fund and committing to a more streamlined application process. New Jersey cannot recover from the pandemic if we exclude hundreds of thousands of our state’s residents. Immigrant essential workers fought for 17 months to win relief, but at current funding levels, fewer than 5% of individuals left behind from aid will obtain assistance. We need $1 billion in aid to build a safety net that leaves no one behind,” said Jenny Llugcha of Make the Road New Jersey.

“Once again, the power of community organizing has delivered promising results. Thursday’s late night announcement is welcome news to the many families who felt that one of their few opportunities for relief had been ripped away,” said Amy Torres of the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. “Combined with the pledge that the application will be streamlined, the conversation about relief is headed in the right direction. But the community’s call has been clear from day one: Too many deserving New Jerseyans will be left out of the recovery at current funding levels. We stand united in the call to invest $1 billion in the program and to continue working with advocates to lower application barriers and reach every eligible New Jerseyan.”

“Governor Murphy, the return of this fund represents a bit of relief and hope for our community that is not entitled to a stimulus, to unemployment insurance, but that with their work contributes billions of dollars in taxes to maintain the economy of the state. In these times of inflation and where the economy is even more difficult for our community, we ask that, under a more humane criterion, the amount be increased to 1 billion, to solve the need for a community hit by a pandemic that not only sickened them but also excluded them”-Gloria Guerrero, Laundry Workers Center

“The Latino Action Network thanks Governor Murphy for renewing his commitment to provide $40 million to the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund, and for taking action to ensure that more people can take part in this critical program. We look forward to working with the Department of Human Services and Murphy Administration to get this funding to those who need it. We will continue to work with the Administration and Legislature to find a way to address the unmet remaining need in the community,” said Christian Estevez of the Latino Action Network.

“My name is Leticia Garcia and I am the mother of 3 girls. I was and continue to be directly affected by the pandemic. Thanks to the immediate mobilization of our immigrant community, the governor returned the money that he had taken from us, to the fund for excluded workers of NJ. The return of the funding brings back a bit of hope to all of us who have not yet applied. In this process many of our community members have been denied support due to the fund’s criteria; therefore, our fight continues because we know that our immigrant community deserves more than this. Throughout the pandemic the state has forgotten about us in many ways, leaving us out on our own and excluding us from basic rights as essential workers and residents of this state. In this fight we know that our community is strong and resilient, and we take care of each other. That is why we will continue to collectively defend our rights. WE DEMAND A BIGGER WORKERS FUND! WE DEMAND 1 BILLION DOLLARS for our community, and the fight is not over until we achieve it! Economic justice for all!” Leticia Garcia – Cosecha New Jersey.

“It was a relief when we learned Governor Murphy announced his plan to replenish the Fund, extend deadline and simplify the application process,” Said Chia-Chia Wang, Organizing and Advocacy Director at the American Friends Service Committee, “the last two months has been extremely challenging for immigrants needing financial assistance to receive this one and only funding opportunity to help them pay for food, rent, medical care or other basic services. We continue to call for an application process that allows immigrants to apply and receive funding without much unnecessary documentation requirements.”

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