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Friday, March 29, 2024

No stimulus check lifeline for U.S. undocumented families

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No stimulus check lifeline for U.S. undocumented families
No stimulus check lifeline for U.S. undocumented families

Fifty-eight year-old undocumented grandmother Maria Luisa Salazar, who shares a mobile home with her family of 11, has stopped working.

But like other undocumented immigrants in the United States who will not receive the federal government stimulus payments that are set to go out in coming weeks, Salazar now wonders how she will support her family.

Freddie Joyner has more.

Maria Luisa Salazar shares a mobile home in California's Central Valley with 11 of her family members.

The 58-year-old grandmother recently quit her job as a housekeeper for fear of contracting the novel coronavirus, worried she might spread it to family members suffering from underlying health conditions.

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish with English translation) 58-YEAR-OLD MARIA LUISA SALAZAR, SAYING: "I'm not so much worried about staying home or dealing with fights or arguments.

We're Latinos and we're used to being surrounded by a lot of people.

What I'm really worried about is, if one gets sick, we're all going to get sick and it's way too many kids." Although Salazar pays taxes in the U.S., she's an undocumented immigrant.

And that means she is among the roughly ten percent of California residents ineligible for a stimulus check from the federal government.

(SOUNDBITE) (Spanish with English translation) 58-YEAR-OLD MARIA LUISA SALAZAR,, SAYING: "We are all undocumented, the only U.S. citizens here are the kids.

We don't even have the guarantee that the government is going to give us the money that they're offering (Economic Impact Payment) to legal residents and those who are here legally.

We don't have that guarantee.

(Flash) I would like to ask the government to put their hand on their heart and to think of all the people who are undocumented.

Not only me, but everyone, just be fair." According to California Governor Gavin Newsom, undocumented immigrants in California have paid more than $2.5 billion in state and local taxes last year.

Newsom announced a partnership Wednesday with philanthropies to create a $125 million disaster relief fund — the first of its kind in the nation — offering up to $500 each to 150,000 adults left out of the federal stimulus package.

Meanwhile undocumented immigrants like Salazar sit and wait for some relief, in fear of not being able to continue to put food on the table for their families.

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