Detroit Granted $750,000 For Coronavirus Relief for Undocumented Immigrants

Detroit’s Immigration Task Force has announced a $750,000 donation that allows them to provide coronavirus relief to undocumented immigrants. The money comes from the philanthropic group Open Society Foundations. 

The donation will be distributed to the estimated 15,000 to 25,000 people in Detroit without legal immigration status. The foundation is granting funds to 19 major metropolitan cities, according to a release.

“These are our residents, our neighbors, our family members and they are taxpaying Americans regardless of their immigration status.” — Councilmember Raquel Castañeda-López

City Councilmember Raquel Castañeda-López says the donation was needed because Congress and the Trump Administration refused to help.

“We know that throughout the country there’s roughly 15.4 million families and individuals of mixed status who were not supported by federal CARES Act money,” Castañeda-López says. “They were left out of programs created to support other families throughout the pandemic.” 

When Congress passed the CARES Act to provide aid for families during the Coronavirus pandemic, millions of undocumented immigrants were left out. Castañeda-López says immigrants still pay taxes and should be helped when it’s needed. There’s over 15 million undocumented workers in the country that generate billions of dollars in payroll and sales taxes.

“These are our residents, our neighbors, our family members and they are taxpaying Americans regardless of their immigration status. They pay into our society and they deserve to be supported,” Castañeda-López says.