WASHINGTON — From a darkened room, the immigrant spoke in
mid-March via Skype to a reporter from the TV station Guatevision, which
focuses on issues pertaining to Guatemalans in and outside of the country.
He told her that in Ohio, where he lives, though the community
has been generally kind without regard to a person's immigration status, the
fear among immigrants without legal permission to be in the U.S. was rampant —
and the coronavirus was just one of many mounting problems.
Work in Ohio, as in the rest of the country and the world, has
dried up. Having no health insurance, even some experiencing symptoms were
seeking to fight the virus in their residences, without receiving any medical
care or advice, risking death and exposing others to the virus.
Jose Arnulfo Cabrera, director of education and advocacy for
migration at the Ohio-based Ignatian Solidarity Network said in an interview
March 27 with Catholic News Service that for many immigrants, particularly
those without legal documentation, the COVID-19 crisis has added another layer
of fear and thrown them into an economic crisis with no safety net.
"My mom cleans houses for a living and hasn't worked all
week because her clients are in self-quarantine. Many of our friends have lost
their job or are day laborers and haven't found work," he told CNS.
"Especially since most (immigrants without legal status) live paycheck to
paycheck, they're worried they won't make rent this month. The reality of not
having health care is also scary right now, especially with public charge."
The 2019 Trump administration's "public charge" policy,
which is navigating through U.S. courts, seeks to deny legal status to some
immigrants who apply for social safety-net programs. If they apply for
government help, it could hurt their chances to apply for permanent residency
or citizenship and even threatens deportation for those who sign up for public
benefits.
There's also little information about what the U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement can or can't do in this crisis to a person without
legal permission to be in the country, or to a person without that legal status
if he or she seeks emergency medical care.
"The information about ICE reducing their operation really
hasn't gotten to the community, so many people are fearful ICE will come to
their homes," Cabrera said. "In Ohio, the governor has issued a
stay-in order.
"There hasn't been any translating on the order, so many
folks who don't speak English don't understand what's going on. Last Sunday I
spent translating the governor's order for Spanish-speaking families for
hours."
Economic policies, such as the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid,
Relief and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, also do not address workers who
long have contributed to the U.S. economy, in taxes paid, but also to the
health care system, Cabrera said, adding that workers without legal immigration
status have been important in keeping hospitals clean and other essential
businesses going long before the crisis and during it.
In New York, Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, executive director of Catholic
Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, urged "New York state, New York
City and the philanthropic community to continue to provide services to the
immigrant population in light of the federal government's exclusion of certain
immigrant families, workers and children from many types of support in the
federal assistance programs created to help those impacted by COVID-19,"
according to a March 30 news release issued by the organization.
Msgr. Sullivan said Catholic Charities in New York would remain
committed to serving all immigrants.
"We call on our New York public and private partners to
continue our New York tradition of including all immigrants in any coronavirus
relief assistance that will be made available," he said.
"It is not surprising to us — yet still disappointing — that
in this unprecedented crisis, the federal government's $2 trillion CARES Act
relief package leaves behind millions of hard-working families, schoolchildren,
and taxpaying immigrants who are seeking to adjust their status as legal
residents and citizens," the priest said. "This leaves many
immigrants even more vulnerable in this pandemic. Consistent with our mission
Catholic Charities will stand with, and help, to the best of our ability, these
most vulnerable of our neighbors."
But the biggest worry is the deadly result that fear and distrust
of the government can cause among certain immigrants.
In Washington, there was speculation that a person who died at
home from the coronavirus without seeking medical help in late March may not
have been in the country legally.
Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District of Columbia did not disclose
the person's immigration status, but in a March 30 news conference, she urged
anyone with COVID-19 symptoms to consult with a doctor, regardless of his or
her immigration status.
"Our first responders will not be asking about your
immigration status," the mayor said.