Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot signed an executive order ensuring illegal immigrants are eligible to receive the city’s coronavirus benefits.
Illegal immigrants are not eligible to receive unemployment insurance or stimulus checks under the financial aid package passed by Congress last month.
Lightfoot’s Tuesday executive order, however, will allow immigrants, regardless of legal status, access to the city’s resources through programs such as the Housing Assistance Grant program, the Chicago Small Business Resiliency Fund, and education resources for public school students.
“This order is more than just an official decree, it is a statement of our values as a city and as Americans,” Lightfoot said in a statement. “Since COVID-19 first reached our city’s doorstep, we have been working around the clock to ensure all our residents are secure and supported, including our immigrant and refugee communities, who are among the most vulnerable to the impact of this pandemic.”
She added, “Here in Chicago, saying ‘we are all in this together’ means that during this crisis, no one gets left out and no one gets left behind.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Tuesday he is also eyeing legislation that would provide economic relief to illegal immigrants not eligible for the federal aid package passed by Congress.
“Californians care deeply about undocumented residents in this state,” Newsom said, adding that his state is “not just waiting for the federal government to do that for us.”
