Recovery for All Coalition Calls on New Jersey State Legislature to Fully Fund Excluded New Jerseyans

As the state reports large surplus, immigrant New Jerseyans and excluded workers urge allocation of $989 million to extend relief, including direct cash payments and income replacement, to all NJers left behind from federal aid.

Click here to watch the live-stream of the event

(Trenton, New Jersey; June 3, 2021) – Today, immigrant, faith, and labor groups rallied on the steps of the Statehouse to urge the New Jersey state legislature to fully support the Fund for Excluded New Jerseyans by providing $989 million in funds for relief for low-income individuals left behind from federal relief. The state is currently forecasting more than $6.3 billion in unexpected revenue and has received an additional $6.4 billion in federal stimulus funds.
On May 7, 2021, Gov. Murphy launched the Fund for Excluded New Jerseyans, a fund to provide one-time relief to low-income individuals excluded from federal relief programs that can prove they have been directly impacted by the pandemic. The initial $40 million allocated to the program will serve less than 10 percent of those individuals and families that are in need of aid.

The Recovery for All Coalition urged the state legislature, currently in budget negotiations, to provide sufficient support for the Fund for Excluded New Jerseyans so that all people left behind from aid are able to access relief. The coalition called for $2,000 payments per excluded individual and unemployment-like benefits in the form of $600 per week payments to workers that have lost their jobs during the pandemic but do not qualify for unemployment insurance due to their immigration status. The total cost of this program is approximately $989 million.

“As many of us begin to make plans for a post-pandemic life, hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans continue to be excluded in pandemic relief. Without a much more significant investment in our excluded and underserved immigrant communities, New Jersey’s recovery will continue to be split, with certain groups deemed less worthy of assistance. We cannot continue extolling the virtues of the “essential worker”, happy to accept their labor, but not their humanity. Every New Jerseyan deserves to enter this next phase of the pandemic as hopeful as the rest, and in order to ensure this happens, we need the Legislature to prioritize a fund for excluded workers,” said Katy Sastre of New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice.

“Immigrant workers kept our state safe during the worst months of the pandemic. We must have access to aid – not just for a handful of us, but for all of us. The legislature must now step up to extend aid to all people who are left behind. This is the only way we can fully recover from the pandemic,” said Noemi Ruiz, member of Make the Road New Jersey.

“New Jersey must protect its communities. We all deserve relief! With the resources that exist from the federal and state governments, legislators and the governor must fully fund this program. Not only would this be an investment in the well-being of workers and their families across the state, but it would also serve as an economic boost for small businesses,” said Rosanna Rodriguez, Co-Director, Laundry Workers Center.

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has left harmful, long-lasting consequences that continue to impact the lives and families of more than 400,000 immigrant New Jerseyans. While the creation of the Excluded New Jerseyans fund is a positive first step in supporting excluded communities, it is not enough to lead our state toward an equitable recovery. We urge the New Jersey Legislature to take immediate action by allocating additional funding through our state budget to provide real relief for immigrant communities,” said Alejandra Sorto, Campaign Strategist, ACLU of New Jersey.

In April, New York created a $2.1 billion excluded workers fund to provide direct cash payments up to $3,200 and up to $15,600 in income replacement for unemployed workers excluded from unemployment due to their immigration status. Washington State has provided more than $400 million in direct cash payments to immigrants — their state’s undocumented population is less than half of New Jersey’s.

Members of the Recovery for All Coalition include: ACLU-NJ, Faith in New Jersey, Latino Action Network, Laundryworkers Center, Make the Road New Jersey, National Domestic Workers Alliance, New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, New Jersey Coalition of Latino Pastors and Ministers, New Jersey Policy Perspective, SEIU 32BJ, Wind of the Spirit

Make the Road NJ
http://www.maketheroadnj.org/