Colorado Lawmakers Consider Relief for Undocumented Residents
Democratic lawmakers are considering following California’s lead to offer COVID-19 relief to residents, regardless of their citizenship status.
In Colorado, about 162,000 undocumented residents are not eligible for assistance from the government stimulus package. Now, because of a clause in the stimulus package, their native-born families aren't, either. According to NBC News, the IRS has said that both filers on a given tax return must have a social security number to get any assistance from the CARES Act.
Alaina Silva is an American citizen in Denver who is married to a man living in the U.S. unlawfully, and described her frustration with the situation to the Colorado Sun:
“My husband has paid taxes the entire time that he’s been here. So, on one level, it’s unjust that he would be left out of the public funds. But it’s a whole other ballpark that me and my two sons, who are all citizens, aren’t included in the stimulus.”
According to the Colorado Sun, House Speaker KC Becker said Thursday (May 30) that they're evaluating a "variety of ways to provide support for Colorado residents living in the U.S. illegally, and their families."
When asked about California's current plan of creating a state fund to funnel relief to residents through non-profits, Becker said "That’s definitely a proposal folks have been looking into."
Source: CNN, Colorado Sun and NBC News