New York State - New York State school districts have been closed since March 18, 2020, and according to Governor Cuomo’s recent announcement will stay closed for the rest of the school year. New York Advocates for Fair and Inclusive Resources for Multilingual Learners (NY-AFFIRMs) has launched a “NYS Pandemic Relief & Educational Equity for MLLs/ELLs Platform” to outline critical steps to address the impact of prolonged school closures equitably.

Washington, DC-Today, the House passed a $484 billion deal that failed, once again, to assist (via direct cash rebates or small business loans) to the millions of undocumented immigrants on the front lines of this pandemic and struggling to survive. The majority of the federal money will replenish the Paycheck Protection Program, which has come under criticism for allowing large chains like Ruth's Chris Steak House to gobble up federal loans.

New York, NY—On Monday evening, President Trump declared on Twitter that he would temporarily halt immigration to the United States by executive order. The move seeks to give the Trump administration authority to decline all applications from foreigners to live and work in the United States for an indeterminate time, effectively shutting down the legal immigration system.

New York, NY—Data from the New York City Comptroller’s office indicate that low-income immigrant New Yorkers make up more than 50% of the city’s front line workers and 33% of essential workers in New York  State.  Additionally, 90% of New York’s front line workers live in the three boroughs hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic—Brooklyn, the Bronx, and Queens.

New York, NY-As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage New York, multiple reports indicate the central Queens neighborhoods of Corona, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights have emerged as the epicenter of the city’s ever-growing outbreak. Here in this seven-square-mile patch of densely packed immigrant enclaves, more than 7,000 cases have been recorded in the first weeks of the crisis.

Albany, NY-As Albany grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, immigrant advocates and allies successfully secured several investments meant to protect and empower the New Yorkers serving on the front lines of this crisis—immigrants. Governor Cuomo’s FY21 state budget includes a $10 million re-investment in the Liberty Defense Project.

Albany, NY-Today, the New York Immigration Coalition and the Vera Institute raised the alarm bell about the dire impacts cutting off funding for critical immigration legal services will have on low-income immigrant New Yorkers and NY’s fight against COVID-19. Without these resources, the thousands of immigrant New Yorkers, many of whom are serving as essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, will continue to be targeted by ICE and threatened with separation from their families.

New York, NY-Yesterday, the New York State Department of Health announced that all low-income immigrants, regardless of immigration status, would have access to COVID-19 testing, evaluation, and treatment as services covered by Emergency Medicaid - a key plank of the NYIC's New York United platform.

New York, NY—Following the Senate's passage of a $2 trillion economic stimulus package, immigrant advocates denounced the exclusion of millions of immigrants and families from the direct cash assistance programs and unemployment assistance. The package would direct payments of $1,200 to most American adults and $500 to most children, create a $500 billion lending program for large companies and cities, and extend another $367 billion to help small companies deal with payroll problems.

New York, NY—Only hours after reporting a positive case of COVID-19 among its staff, the immigration court on Varick street reopened with no warning. Advocacy groups are renewing their demand that Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) release all detainees and immediately adopt policies in line with the recommendations of public health officials.