Activists seek relief for undocumented people

Immigrant rights activists held a rally in downtown Phoenix on Monday to encourage the Phoenix City Council to provide a COVID-19 relief fund for undocumented Arizonans.

Activists say that while Phoenix and other government entities have doled out relief funds for residents, small businesses and large corporations, they’ve “left the undocumented community to fall through the cracks of the response to the pandemic.”

These individuals didn’t get any federal relief funds and don’t qualify for help under state and federal assistance programs.

The event, organized by Poder in Action, looked significantly different than the group’s usual rallies. To promote social distancing, participants demonstrated from their vehicles in a 11⁄2 mile drive from the Arizona Capitol to Phoenix City Hall.

“Undocumented people are the backbone of Phoenix economically,” Poder in Action Executive Director Viri Hernandez said. “Undocumented people have been the ones out there making sure Phoenix is running and clean ... while others are privileged to stay and work from home.”

In early May, the Phoenix City Council briefly discussed whether it could provide financial assistance to

people without legal status with the nearly $300 million provided to the city through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

While the CARES Act itself does not specify that funding recipients must be legal U.S. residents, Phoenix City Attorney Cris Meyer told the council that the funds are likely subject to other federal and state laws that require residency.

Now, Poder in Action is instead calling on the council to create a “privatelyresourced relief fund” for undocumented people impacted by the new coronavirus.

Hernandez said that if the city can’t directly provide aid, it could — and should — set up a fund for undocumented people and encourage businesses and residents to donate.

“Instead of fundraising for their campaigns, they should fundraise for people,” she said.

Hernandez said the city expects undocumented people to participate in the U.S. Census, which will increase the funds the city gets from the federal government. Therefore, it should take care of those same people in this time of need.

Budget requests

In addition to pushing for a relief fund, Poder in Action also encouraged the council to think wisely as it gets ready to approve its annual budget.

On Tuesday, the council gave initial approval to a proposed budget that includes $27 million in budget cuts and $1 million in new spending — mainly a police civilian review board and emergency dispatchers.

Phoenix’s budget staff has warned, however, that more budget cuts could be on the horizon.

The stay-at-home orders that accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic have already cost the city an unknown, but likely substantial, amount of expected sales tax revenue.

It’s unknown how long the current economic slowdown will last and what the economic consequences will look like.

Hernandez said her group is urging the council to cut police funding before it cuts other city programs. Poder in Action has long pushed for police accountability in Phoenix, where tensions have built between officers and minority communities following record numbers of police shootings.

The council is expected to vote on a tentative budget on June 3 and a final adoption on June 17.

“Undocumented people are the backbone of Phoenix economically. Undocumented people have been the ones out there making sure Phoenix is running and clean ... while others are privileged to stay and work from home.”

Viri Hernandez

Executive Director, Poder in Action