Tell Congress to pass COVID-19 legislation that protects and supports survivors!
On May 15, by a bipartisan vote of 208-199, the House passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act - a $3 trillion-plus legislative package to provide relief and assistance to address the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.
There is still work ahead, however, to improve on the HEROES Act's assistance to survivors and the programs that serve them, and to fill in gaps in HEROES coverage. Although the HEROES Act included several provisions that support immigrants and survivors of violence, it did not include many other crucial provisions from the Coronavirus Immigrant Families Protection Act that would directly benefit immigrant survivors (see statement from the National Network to End Domestic Violence here and from the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence here for more details).
We urge the Senate to take up the critical work of developing and delivering a robust aid package that ensures that everyone can make it through this crisis.
TAKE ACTION!
Please continue educating your Members of Congress - your Representatives (contact information here), and at this time, especially your Senators (contact information here) - on the importance of keeping intact and making improved provisions to protect and support immigrant survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in the next COVID-19 package. Educating legislators is the most important policy action you can take, both for this short-term and the long-haul!
Suggested Call/Email Script: "Hello. My name is [your name], and I am a constituent calling from [your location and, if applicable, your program]. COVID-19 disproportionately impacts victims and survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and immigrant survivors are particularly vulnerable. I’m calling today to ask you to support and include vital provisions, including ones in the HEROES Act and the Coronavirus Immigrant Families Protection Act, that provide crucial aid to survivors in the next COVID-19 bill. [Insert any of the talking points about the necessary provisions provided below]. Please protect the health, safety, and economic security of all survivors of domestic and sexual violence by supporting these important provisions and ensuring that they are included in the next COVID-19 aid package."
Talking points
Economic Aid: Survivors of domestic violence, particularly immigrant survivors, who have lost their jobs or have reduced hours due to COVID-19 are becoming more vulnerable to economic abuse or facing an impossible decision between falling into poverty and returning to an abuser in order to meet their and their children’s basic needs. Please ensure that all survivors are able to earn their own income to escape abuse or can remain independent by ensuring that immigrant taxpayers who file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) have access to cash rebates
Health Care Aid: COVID-19 does not discriminate based on immigration status, and neither should access to health care. Please expand emergency Medicaid to ensure that everyone - including immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking - has access to free COVID-19 testing, treatment, care, and other health care services.
Immigration Protections:
Please prohibit the detention and deportation of survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking who have pending applications under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) or the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) to ensure that survivors can continue to pursue and obtain crucial protection. The detention and deportation of survivors gives devastating force to abusers’ threats at any time, and at this time, could prove to be a death sentence.
Please automatically extend immigration status or work authorization, including that of immigrant victims, that has expired or is set to expire during the emergency to ensure survivors can remain in the U.S. and continue working during this uncertain and dangerous time.
Please halt immigration enforcement in locations such as victim service agencies, courthouses, and hospitals to ensure that immigrant survivors can access crucial help during this public health and economic crisis.
Please suspend the public charge inadmissibility rule to encourage survivors to seek the services they need, and clarify that accessing benefits related to COVID-19 will not count against immigrants in future immigration applications.
Outreach: Please improve language access efforts so that hard-to-reach populations, including immigrant communities, can learn crucial information about coronavirus preparedness, response, and recovery, as well as available health care and economic resources.
HEROES Act Stimulus Rebate Provision
Before the final vote on the bill, opponents of a provision that would provide stimulus rebates (direct cash payments) to all taxpayers, including immigrants who file taxes with an ITIN, sought to amend the bill to remove this provision through a procedural maneuver known as a Motion to Recommit (MTR). Thankfully, the motion to deny crucial economic support to hard-hit immigrant families, including immigrant survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, ultimately failed (to see how your Representative voted on the MTR, click here).
We commend and thank the Representatives who voted to include and preserve the stimulus payment and many other important provisions that increase protections and support for survivors of violence, including immigrant survivors, in the HEROES Act (see AIS alert with selected bill highlights here).