In Denver, the COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to test a program to aid undocumented migrant workers, which resulted in the city now providing permanent unemployment support to unauthorized workers.
Undocumented immigrants were ineligible for much of the government coronavirus aid that assisted many Americans in need, bolstering the savings of many households when times were tough.
Left Behind Workers Fund
According to the Center for American Progress, the US is four years into the pandemic, and undocumented immigrants have been impacted disproportionately severely, both financially and in terms of COVID exposure.
According to CAP, more than five million vital employees in the United States are unauthorized immigrants. Yet, while being only 3.2% of the population, they account for 4.4% of the country’s labor.
Advocates have been urging governments to increase unemployment compensation for illegal employees, pointing out how the pandemic has increased inequality based on immigration status.
Many states, including Colorado and Pennsylvania, have suggested “excluded worker funds,” similar to those proposed in New York and Denver in the last two years, as well as provisions for undocumented employees’ rights and pay protections.
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Who Is Eligible For Undocumented Immigrant Assistance?
The pandemic-initiated fund was called the Left Behind Workers Fund, and it was established by Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock with the use of $1.73 million dollars to assist families that lost their source of income due to COVID-19.
This resulted in Colorado introducing the Benefit Recovery Fund, a program delivering cash compensation that will be managed by AidKit, a third-party platform, for all unemployed people regardless of immigration status.
Undocumented immigrants in Colorado are eligible for this assistance, but similar programs are also in place in states such as New York and Pennsylvania, with advocates hoping that the initiative will become national as more than 5 million workers in the United States are undocumented, according to estimates by the Center for American Progress, accounting for approximately 4.4% of the total U.S. workforce.
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