Bishop of Washington calls for inclusion of essential foreign workers in relief programs

Bishop Mario Dorsonville, chairman of the Committee on Migration of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, sent a written testimony to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship of the House Judiciary Committee.

The document was discussed during a virtual hearing called “Immigrants as Essential Workers During COVID-19”, which took place on Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

Participants had the opportunity to present their arguments about current conditions of immigrants, mainly essential workers, who do not receive any benefits from the government during the health crisis caused by the global Coronavirus pandemic.

Bishop Dorsonville argues that “Immigrants and refugees are a blessing to our country (…) The contributions of essential workers have become undoubtedly more important during COVID-19. While many essential workers are U.S. citizens, many are also immigrants and refugees. Immigrants comprise 31% of U.S. agricultural employees.”

However, the bishop states that despite the fact that immigrants are essential to the local market and represent a high percentage of the country’s workforce, they do not receive benefits such as:

• Medical care.
• Economic relief during the health crisis.
• Assistance from local governments.

Therefore, the representative of the Catholic organization asks the congress to:

• Include immigrant communities in any relief project in the future, be it stimulus checks, access to the health system, inter alia.
• Provide a way for essential foreign workers, who do not have legal documentation, to apply for citizenship in the US.

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Why is the Bishop asking for these benefits?

It’s no secret that the Trump administration takes a tough stance when it comes to illegal immigration and even criticizes some legal processes like political asylum, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and Temporary Protected Status (TPS).

Broadly speaking, the current president of the US and his cabinet assure that mass immigration can tremendously affect the local economic system, increasing the unemployment rate during the health crisis, reducing possibilities for American citizens and being an unnecessary burden for the local population.

However, there are dozens of activist organizations or immigrant rights advocates, such as Bishop Dorsonville, who state that arguments of the Trump administration do not take into account the contributions of foreign workers to the country, but only encourage discrimination and social division.

Therefore, they declare that it is necessary for Congress to step in and provide some kind of relief for immigrants who contribute greatly to the development of local businesses and who are an essential part of the US food supply chain during the current juncture.

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Learn about your options to migrate

Despite some changes implemented by the Trump administration on the immigration sector, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) offers multiple alternatives that you can choose to obtain your residence permit.

However, foreigners often receive negative responses from the USCIS for not following experts’ advice and choosing a process that does not suit their needs.

Therefore, to choose the right immigration process, it is essential for you to have the constant accompaniment of experts, who can guide you towards the success of your application.

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