Many immigrant families were on the verge of poverty during the crisis due to the coronavirus.
According to the Federal law CARES, about 1.2 million Americans will not receive checks on welfare because they are married to immigrants.
Under the existing law CARES provides that taxpayers who submitted their taxes with an individual taxpayer identification number, are not eligible for benefits. This means that couple who takes the taxes jointly, will not receive any money if one family member is a U.S. citizen and the other not.
«You punish US citizens for family relationships. You don’t become a US citizen less because you are married to undocumented immigrants,» said Marion Davis from the Massachusetts coalition for the protection of the rights of immigrants and refugees.
In a family of four with two children where one parent is a U.S. citizen and the other not, the whole family is deprived of the right to receive funds for emergency assistance.
Defenders of immigrants ‘ rights say that it is a condition of funding will affect the economy as a whole.
«When you make the family poorer, they can’t pay the rent, buy food, Davis said. — You deal damage to whole communities.»
According to Davis, the system failed those most vulnerable.
