Thursday, March 28, 2024

Mixed-Status Families Eligible for New Covid-19 Relief Package

The new Covid-19 relief package is expected to pass Congress very soon and this time households with people of mixed immigration status will be eligible. This is a significant change from the previous relief package because it excluded millions of people in mixed-status families in a pandemic in which immigrants are among the front-line workers.

On Sunday evening, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated that the new covid-19 relief package will include a payment of up to $600 per adult and child including mixed- status households.

The CARES Act, which was a COVID-19 relief package, passed in March by Congress, included payments of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child for people who filed taxes within the last two years using a Social Security number. However, undocumented immigrants and immigrants who do not have a social security number were not eligible for the relief package as well as anyone who was filing jointly with someone ineligible.

According to the Migration Policy Institute, about 14.4 million people in mixed- status families were completely excluded from the previous relief checks as well as 5.1 million people who were citizens or green card holders.

Individuals in mixed-status household sued the government for excluding them from the stimulus checks. Democrats along with other advocates pushed for the next relief check to include everyone who pays taxes including undocumented immigrants.

U.S. NEWS