Unemployed due to the coronavirus, immigrants do not qualify for many federal and state programs even though they pay taxes.

More than 2 million undocumented workers in California who don't qualify for many state and federal benefits are among the hardest hit as the economy is hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Congress is working to provide an emergency relief fund that can benefit U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents. However, undocumented workers are not included. They also don't qualify for unemployment insurance or the California Earned Income Tax Credit (CalEITC), a cash-back credit for workers.

With nonessential businesses closed across California, specialists from UCLA's Anderson School of Management predict that more than 280,000 jobs could be lost by this time next year.

Almost one in ten California workers is undocumented, and their situation worsens day by day. Among them is Luis, who until last week worked at a car wash in Los Angeles. The immigrant said that due to the rainy weather, his hours had already been reduced from 40 to less than 16 per week.

"On Friday they closed (the business) and they told us that for a month," said Luis, who prefers not to give his last name due to his immigration status. "We all take this problem very seriously and if I could I would stay home, but I have to work to support my wife and daughter."

Luis said about 26 workers at the car wash company lost their jobs on Friday. He managed to get another part-time job at a liquor store, but his savings are so small that he doesn't think they can last him for a month.

María Ortiz is an undocumented resident, owner of Ortiz Ice Cream in San Bernardino. She said she has been running her small business since 2005 with the required permits and her Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN).

Ortiz Ice Cream serves events for the city, school districts, and some colleges.

"About two weeks ago, things got very bad when the governor closed all (non-essential) businesses," Ortiz said. "All events were canceled."

Now Ortiz and her husband, who is also undocumented, have to find a way to support themselves and their four children, ages 5 to 13.

Her biggest help has been through the San Bernardino Unified School District's “grab and go” takeout service. "We go there every day very quickly at 11:30 in the morning and then we return home," Ortiz said, asserting that the situation is serious.

“We live from paycheck to paycheck and we really don't have savings. We don't qualify for unemployment or CalEITC, even though we work and pay taxes, "said Ortiz.

The CalEITC benefit provides that if one parent in the home has an ITIN, such as Ortiz and her husband, the entire family loses the Earned Income Tax Credit, even if there are US citizen children in the family. Those with a Social Security number who lose their DACA status or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) also do not qualify.

The California Immigrant Policy Center disclosed that the main occupations that would benefit from the expansion of the tax credit are domestic workers, maintenance workers, farmers, and health workers.

Nearly a quarter of the nation's undocumented immigrants reside in California. "They work disproportionately in agriculture, construction, and manufacturing," according to the California Institute of Public Policy.

Bell

Sasha Feldstein, an advocate for the California Immigrant Policy Center, said the state tax credit could help the immigrant community if it expanded to the undocumented.

In its first year, in 2015, CalEITC increased the incomes of approximately 385,000 families, who shared nearly $ 200 million of the cash reimbursement credit. In 2019, more than 2 million people claimed the credit, totaling about $ 395 million.

"This program has proven to be one of the most effective programs to fight poverty, more than any of our other social programs," said Feldstein.

Since its inception, the CalEITC program has expanded in terms of who might be eligible, such as age requirements and freelancers. It has also increased the credit amount and income eligibility guidelines so that people who earn the equivalent of the full-time minimum wage are now eligible for cash reimbursement.

Governor Gavin Newsom invested $ 600 million last year in the loan so that people could receive more money. It also instituted the Toddler Tax Credit, which awards an additional $ 1,000 to families with children under the age of six.

"But year after year, the people who continue to be excluded are taxpayers who file their taxes with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) instead of a Social Security number," Feldstein said. "Immigrant taxpayers contribute more than $ 3.2 billion in state and local taxes each year, they contribute enormously to our economy."

"It wouldn't cost that much money and it would have a huge impact on families, especially families right now who may not be eligible for benefits like unemployment insurance," he added.

If the CalEITC program is approved, Ortiz and Luis could benefit not only as ITIN user workers but also with the additional $ 1,000 per child, since they have US citizen children.

Newsom requested that President Donald Trump make a Declaration of Major Disasters in California, to free up emergency response efforts, including disaster unemployment assistance for groups that do not otherwise qualify, including business owners, workers freelancers and those who have not earned enough to qualify for regular unemployment benefits.

But although President Trump made the statement, he did not approve disaster unemployment assistance.

A call for action

A recent survey of 500 Latino immigrants in Los Angeles by the Coalition for Immigrant Human Rights (CHIRLA) showed that around 446 are concerned about sudden layoffs, 474 are concerned about paying their bills, and 299 are problems with child care.

The survey was conducted between March 12-15.

To highlight these concerns last week a coalition of dozens of pro-immigrant organizations, led by CHIRLA, sent a letter to the federal, state and local governments advocating for aid for undocumented immigrants as the coronavirus continues to rage. Organizations ask the federal government to guarantee free tests and treatments for Covid-19 coronavirus without discriminating on the basis of income, gender, nationality, disability, and citizenship.

They also ask the state government to expand access to state-funded programs, such as the California Food Assistance Program and the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants for the undocumented for at least 6 months. In addition, they request the immediate inclusion of ITIN workers in the CalEITC program and the Children's Tax Credit retroactively for fiscal year 2019 and ongoing.

In California, undocumented people over the age of 25 are not eligible for Medi-Cal, although the governor included a proposal to expand the state's low-income health insurance to undocumented people over the age of 65.

Los Angeles Democrat State Senator Maria Elena Durazo urged Newsom to expand Medi-Cal coverage for coronavirus-related tests and treatments to all Californians, regardless of immigration status or health insurance.

Currently, some health clinics are exempting testing fees for the uninsured. The California Department of Public Health has said that people who are uninsured and have symptoms should contact their local health department to find out where free tests might be available.

Meanwhile, some state lawmakers are lobbying to extend health insurance to all undocumented residents of California.

"As coronavirus fears sweep across the nation, people are … working from home, storing food and visiting doctors for any possible symptoms," Assemblyman Joaquín Arambula, a Democrat from Fresno, said Monday at a conference in press. "For many low-income immigrant communities, however, these precautions and accommodations are essentially luxuries, making them particularly vulnerable during the pandemic."

For more information on the CalEITC campaign, visit: caimmigrant.org/caleitc

The following are relief funds for undocumented immigrants:

United Restaurant Opportunity Centers – Restaurant Worker Assistance Fund

  • Restaurant workers who need financial assistance.

https://rocunited.org/relief/application/

One Fair Wage Emergency Fund

  • Cash assistance for restaurant workers, auto service drivers, delivery workers, personal service workers and more who need the money they don't get to survive.

https://ofwemergencyfund.org/help

USBG National Charity Foundation – Bartender Emergency Assistance Program

  • Bartenders, or the spouse or child of a bartender who has experienced emergency difficulties.

https://www.usbgfoundation.org/beap

Another Round, Another Rally Emergency Assistance

  • Hotel industry workers, dishwashers, bartenders, bartenders, waiters, cooks, chefs, sommeliers, managers, hosts, janitors, cleaning staff, or return bar may apply for funds.

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Restaurant Workers ’Community Foundation

Jacqueline García is a reporter for La Opinion. This article is part of The California Divide, a newsroom collaboration that examines income inequality and economic survival in California.

Jackie Botts, a reporter for CalMatters, contributed to this article.

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