New York will offer one-time payments of up to $15,600 to undocumented immigrants who lost work during the pandemic

[JEDI]

$2.1 Billion for Undocumented Workers Signals New York’s Progressive Shift (Published 2021)

The fund, which could provide payments to hundreds of thousands of people excluded from other pandemic relief, ignited a battle among state lawmakers before it was approved this week.

www.nytimes.com

Lifelines like unemployment insurance and federal stimulus checks were out of reach because undocumented people are ineligible for most government aid. Instead, they have relied on food pantries, lenient landlords and loans from friends.

The effort — a $2.1 billion fund in the state budget — is by far the biggest of its kind in the country and a sign of the state’s shift toward policies championed by progressive Democrats.

Undocumented workers could receive up to $15,600, the equivalent of $300 per week for the last year, if they can verify that they were state residents, ineligible for federal unemployment benefits and lost income as a result of the pandemic.
Others who can prove at least their residency and identity, and provide some work documentation, could be eligible for a lower sum up to $3,200.


I'm a Dem but i'm not a fan of using publicly funded rescue programs for people who are not in the country legally.
That $2B price tag could be used to help it's poor legal citizens.

If you're wondering how can these illegals verify that they were state residents?
NY allows undocumented immigrants to apply for driver’s licenses.

Documents that workers can use to prove eligibility:
- birth certificates --> I'm assuming from their home country because if they have a USA birth certificate, then they are not an illegal
- A W-2 form --> Thought you needed an I-9 (identity and authorization to work) form before you can be issued a W-2?
And one document an I-9 requires is a Social Security card?

Anyway, i think there will be widespread fraud...

 

[BoomerD]

No...just HELL NO.

 

[soulcougher73]

Queue the pro states right crowd to be butt hurt over this idea in 3....2.....1

 

[pauldun170]

Workers who enter the country legally, work. Pay taxes. Live here and work here for years. Run into issues with visa renewal and case is pending. They are now considered illegal by the fed.
Pandemic throws everything in disarray.
NY considers anyone who lives and works in NY a fucking new yorker and says "I got you fam"

Butt hurt old people who live in places no one wants to live or work in get upset that a state still believes in the whole citizen of the state concept.

 

[pauldun170]

Queue the pro states right crowd to be butt hurt over this idea in 3....2.....1

The core argument being made is "Why isn't that State enforcing Federal law"
Then they runoff to go celebrate other states allowing weed to be sold.

 

[brycejones]

No...just HELL NO.

You live in NY?

 

[mect]

Price tag may be a little higher than I'd put it, but I can't work up too much annoyance over this when per my understanding we still spend multiples of this subsidizing the fossil fuel industry, and we have conservatives and moderates baulking over setting the corporate tax rate back to 28%, let alone 35%.

 

[sportage]

So let me get this straight, employers LOVE the cheap labor provided by illegals, yet we have people who believe those same illegals who served your pizza and refilled your water glasses and wiped down your restaurant table, we have people who believe those same illegals deserve nothing in a pandemic?
Typical republican WE WANT IT BOTH WAYS bullshet.

You see this same BS thinking when it comes to abortion. Republicans want to force women to have those babies they can not afford to feed or to house, yet republicans then refuse to cough up the tax dollars to support those mothers and their child in need.

Republican business owners sure do love their illegals until the pandemic hit, and republican religious fundies sure love those cute little toddlers up until the moment the cute little toddler requires a little tax money in order to survive. Republicans, hypocrites, you enjoyed the customer service that you're illegals provided, and you forced that woman living in poverty to have her baby, thus... you must now pay in step two for getting what you wanted in step one. You CAN NOT have it both ways.

 

[HomerJS]

This will be too easy for Republicans to rhetoric to death. Like defund the police or cancel culture

 

[dank69]

NY can obviously do whatever the fuck they want with their own money but giving more money to undocumented immigrants than they give to actual NY citizens is pretty bad optics. If there is some rationale that makes sense it needs to be broadcasted 10x more than the announcement itself.

 

[mect]

NY can obviously do whatever the fuck they want with their own money but giving more money to undocumented immigrants than they give to actual NY citizens is pretty bad optics. If there is some rationale that makes sense it needs to be broadcasted 10x more than the announcement itself.

The rationale is that NY citizens have been eligible for all the relief packages that have been passed so far. The purpose of this bill is to find those that have fallen through the cracks and try to provide relief for them.

I agree though, the optics are bad and will make for easy headlines for republicans that only care about winning, not about helping.

 

[Jaskalas]

NY considers anyone who lives and works in NY a fucking new yorker and says "I got you fam"

A legitimate description.

I only worry of the jealous rage from those who did not see nearly so much in benefits.

 

[dank69]

The rationale is that NY citizens have been eligible for all the relief packages that have been passed so far. The purpose of this bill is to find those that have fallen through the cracks and try to provide relief for them.

I agree though, the optics are bad and will make for easy headlines for republicans that only care about winning, not about helping.

Right, and that's cool and all, but how much did citizens get? $1200 + $600 + $1400 = $3200 per person and they're talking about giving out $15 grand each? I honestly wouldn't blame Democrats if they decided to walk the fuck away if that came to pass.

 

[repoman0]

Right, and that's cool and all, but how much did citizens get? $1200 + $600 + $1400 = $3200 per person and they're talking about giving out $15 grand each? I honestly wouldn't blame Democrats if they decided to walk the fuck away if that came to pass.

Sounds like that $3200 is what they get if they were employed, the full amount is including $300 per week of back unemployment for those who lost their jobs for that entire time period. Bad optics for sure though

 

[dank69]

Sounds like that $3200 is what they get if they were employed, the full amount is including $300 per week of back unemployment for those who lost their jobs for that entire time period. Bad optics for sure though

Ah I see, I didn't think about unemployment benefits...

 

[pauldun170]

A legitimate description.

I only worry of the jealous rage from those who did not see nearly so much in benefits.

The report says up to $15,600 which implies that money will be based on certain criteria and not everyone will receive the full amount.

Citizens and those with legal status in comparable situations would have received unemployment benefits and stimulus checks.
At best, the people this action would impact would likely receive less than what others have received over the past 12 months.
Minimum wage in NY is $15
$300 per week is < 8 dollars an hour
In New York for a single person that is below poverty line.

Of course that doesn't matter.
Those who would be upset about this would likely be upset if NY gave them a $2 and a free t-shirt.

 

[ivwshane]

I don’t have a problem with this but I do have a problem with who ever was hiring them as they did so illegally and more than likely paid them less than the minimum wage. So in essence, once again, we privatized profits and socialize losses.

Other than the economic benefits multiplier, I wonder what the reasoning behind this is? It’s the moral thing to do? It will keep crime at bay? It will force those that are here illegally to come out of the shadows in order to make a claim?

 

[Thump553]

Workers who enter the country legally, work. Pay taxes. Live here and work here for years. Run into issues with visa renewal and case is pending. They are now considered illegal by the fed.
Pandemic throws everything in disarray.
NY considers anyone who lives and works in NY a fucking new yorker and says "I got you fam"

Butt hurt old people who live in places no one wants to live or work in get upset that a state still believes in the whole citizen of the state concept.

A big chunk of undocumented workers pay taxes. They use stolen SSNs so they never get any of the benefits of the payroll taxes they pay.

That said, I'd really have to study the proposed NY plan. At first glance and on the surface it sure seems like a bad idea to me.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Why not just make them 'legal'?

Simple background checks to make sure they're not bad people, then the stroke of a pen.

Why this big hullaballoo over a 'path'.

 

[pcgeek11]

NY can do with their money as they see fit. Maybe this will be a good magnet to get all illegals to NY instead of having them spread out all over the country.

 

[[DHT]Osiris]

I don’t have a problem with this but I do have a problem with who ever was hiring them as they did so illegally and more than likely paid them less than the minimum wage.

Illegal immigrant labor in the US seems, to me, to be like the callous on the bottom of our feet. It's not really sexy, we don't like to talk about it, a LOT of people think it shouldn't be there, but our lives would be a whole lot worse if we just had to walk on wet meat.

I say moisturize it, take care of it, and accept that it's going to be there no matter who we would like to think we are.

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Remember how the Irish were treated? The Italians? The Greeks? The East Europeans like the Romanis?