The Seattle City Council passed a resolution Monday requesting Gov. Jay Inslee (D-WA) to create a $100 million “relief fund” for illegal immigrants who weren’t able to receive money from the federal government as part of its coronavirus relief package.
The resolution called for the creation of a “Washington Worker Relief Fund” that would provide “economic assistance to undocumented Washingtonians during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The Seattle Times reported that the resolution passed the city council unanimously – 9-0 – and Mayor Jenny Durkan prepared to sign it.
“Looking out for the most vulnerable in our community is even more critical in times of crisis,” Durkan said, as reported by the Times. “It is all the more important to ensure we are not pushing people further into the shadows.”
As Fox News reported, the resolution isn’t binding, so it merely asks the state to create the fund. It is up to Inslee’s administration whether to create it.
The requested funding is more than the $75 million that California has proposed to spend on illegal immigrants in the state, which has five times the population of Washington. California is allowing illegal immigrants to apply for a $500 payment for individuals or $1,000 for families, under a program PJ Media reported took funding from state funds and private donations.
“There are at least two million illegal aliens in California. The fund may help up to 150,000 illegals with emergency relief,” the outlet reported.
The Fresno Bee reported that the website to apply for the funding was so overwhelmed when it launched on Monday that it crashed.
“Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., the House passed a Democrat-driven bill last week that would include illegal immigrants in the next round of stimulus checks to most Americans. It would do this by allowing those who are ineligible for Social Security numbers, and who file taxes instead by using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), to receive the checks,” Fox reported. “Each eligible person would receive $1,200 stimulus checks, up to $6,000 per household, according to the newly released legislation.”
Democrats have been calling for this kind of funding for illegal immigrants for weeks. As The Daily Wire previously reported, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has said the House could consider a guaranteed minimum income for individuals that would extend to illegal immigrants. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) also called on the federal government to include non-citizens who have an ITIN in the coronavirus relief package. He said during a Univision segment that “Millions of undocumented [immigrants] who work hard, and they’re outside on the streets now exposing themselves to getting sick, should also receive this kind of protection.”
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot also signed an executive order that ensured illegal immigrants, as well as lawful immigrants and refugees, had access to receive coronavirus benefits from the city.
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