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May 8, 2020The effects of COVID-19 have been felt throughout all of our communities. Our immigrant community is no exception and is particularly vulnerable as many immigrants work in some of the hardest-hit industries, live in low-income households, or lack health insurance coverage. Yet immigrants are also critical to recovery efforts with significant numbers working in health-related industries and the US food sector.
In response to both public health concerns and the moral responsibility to ensure basic human rights for all, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is calling for the next expected federal relief package to include:- COVID-19 testing and treatment for all, regardless of immigration status,
- Automatic extension of work authorization and visa renewal deadlines for refugees and immigrants who are providing economic recovery assistance to our county,
- Eligibility for cash rebate payments for hardworking immigrant and refugee populations,
- Halting the implementation of the new public charge rules,
- Protection for asylum seekers and unaccompanied children, and
- $642 million in supplemental funding for the Office of Refugee Resettlement to care for vulnerable migrant populations.
We are grateful that pleas for vital aid to fight the coronavirus in Florida's Immokalee farmworker community are starting to be heard. After calls by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, nearly 40,000 petition signatures, and countless media stories, state and local health officials organized a mass testing site in Immokalee for three days, May 3-5. The increased attention to the needs of this community brings new hope to these essential workers who help to keep our nation fed during this crisis.
To pray a Rosary for Vulnerable People on the Move click here.
