With a large wave of undocumented immigrants entering the country, Democratic-led states and localities nationwide have diverted millions of dollars from COVID-19 financial aid programs to assist undocumented citizens. The majority of the money—at least $517 million—that was allotted to this project was used to enable cash payments to specific undocumented immigrants. The American Rescue Plan (ARP), a $1.9 trillion government COVID-19 stimulus program signed into law by President Biden in March 2021, provided the funding.
Under the guise of COVID-19 pandemic assistance, an investigation revealed that the Biden Administration had effectively indirectly sponsored unauthorized immigration in Washington state by diverting federal ARP funding to this end. States such as Illinois and New Jersey, along with cities like Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver, and Boston, were found to have experienced this financial reallocation. The ARP’s Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund was used by these jurisdictions in an effort to assist local governments in their efforts to recover from the pandemic’s effects.
The largest program was found in Washington state, which allocated $340 million in ARP funds for its “COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund.” This program provided $1,000 one-time cash incentives to immigrants who were not citizens by law. Appropriated in April 2021 by the state legislature, this program paid over 100,000 unauthorized residents.
$71.8 million in ARP funds were allocated by Illinois to provide cash benefits to households that were not eligible for Economic Impact benefits because of their immigration status. In a similar vein, Chicago set aside $14.7 million for its “resiliency fund,” which provides $500 cash payments to domestic workers and excluded residents without requiring them to provide their citizenship or immigration status.
The issue over using federal epidemic aid for undocumented immigrants is becoming more heated as these places struggle with the increased demands of the migrant population, placing a burden on resources intended for Americans. There have been calls for Congressional action to address the resource constraints and the wider humanitarian catastrophe as a result of this predicament, which highlights the complicated dynamics at play as municipal and state governments manage the combined pressures of pandemic recovery and the migrant influx.