Pro-Immigrant Activists Seek $3B Extension Of Excluded Workers Fund In New York

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 15: (SPEECH)(Part 2 of 3) (SPANISH LANGUAGE) Ana María Archila, running for Lieutenant Governor of NY in 2022, speaks as pro-immigrant advocates and local elected officials rally outside New York State Governor Kathy Hochul midtown Manhattan office, to demand the governor add $3 billion to the Excluded Workers Fund on March 15, 2022 in New York City. In early 2021, NY State lawmakers approved a $2.1 billion Excluded Workers Fund, but the fund quickly ran out of money because of a soaring economic relief demand from eligible excluded workers. The one-time payment was intended to help cover costs associated with joblessness, including back rent and medical bills, due to lost work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocates want a permanent program established for undocumented workers and argue these workers provide essential services and are, therefore, essential workers. They seek some form of unemployment insurance (UI) because many of the excluded workers are undocumented and do not qualify for unemployment insurance. They also did not qualify for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) included in the Coronavirus Aid, nor the Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, nor did they receive federal stimulus checks or most government aid. Many heavily rely on lifelines like food pantries, negotiating with landlords and other means of acquiring money. (Footage by Tomas Abad/Getty Images)