I am an undocumented immigrant, and I help keep this state running

I am one of an estimated 120,000 undocumented individuals in Connecticut. At this moment, undocumented immigrants are keeping this state running — at the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, often risking their lives for a paycheck as grocery and farm workers, delivery and cleaning workers, home health aids and more.

We also pay about $124 million in state and local taxes annually.

But neither our humanity nor our tax dollars seem to matter much to Gov. Ned Lamont, whose administration has so far left our community out of most relief efforts.

My family of six has lived in Connecticut since I was 12 years old. Surviving has always been a struggle, but it has never been this hard. The financial and emotional toll this pandemic has taken is affecting all of us.

As a co-director of CT Students for a Dream, a youth-led organization that empowers, educates and fights for the rights of undocumented immigrant youths and their families, I hear every day from youths and families who are struggling as a result of this pandemic. I hear of empty kitchen cupboards, of families with rent due and no income, of parents scared to seek medical care because they know they can’t afford the bill.

Every day, my team and I work hard to take care of our community. Yes, I see fear and anxiety in our community. But I also see beauty and hope — we are resilient. Around the state, I see my community on the ground taking care of each other, asking each other what they need, pooling together resources and making sure we can all survive this crisis. I’m thinking of the luchadorxs (fighters) of La Boguetida de la gente, Semilla Collective, CTCORE, and the CT Undocufund. I see communities full of love moving mountains to ensure we are taken care of.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about Gov. Lamont and his administration. All I see is us being left behind. The Lamont administration has taken no meaningful actions to safeguard the well-being and health of the immigrant community. Even the official COVID-19 website is entirely in English.

There is no excuse for this inaction. By the third week of the pandemic, groups like CT Students for a Dream and many others have started calling and emailing his office. Our ask? That the state create a $120 million disaster relief fund for the estimated 120,000 undocumented workers and families in Connecticut. We are not alone in calling for this — 60 faith, immigrant rights, labor, civil rights, and social justice organizations sent a letter to the governor’s office with this request on April 13, as have 17 Connecticut state senators and 23 state Representatives. California has already enacted a similar relief fund. Connecticut can too.

Momentum is behind us, but all we’ve heard from the governor and his administration is silence. I don’t even know if we’re on their radar — much less their hearts and minds. And time is running out.

Many of our people have lost their jobs or work hours. We can’t feed our families. We can’t pay our rent. What will happen when families start getting evicted or start getting sick? If the state doesn’t act soon, thousands of families and essential workers will be in a place where recovery will take years, maybe a generation.

Let’s also remember that especially in times like this, we should focus on our humanity — not on our tax status or economic output. The federal government has already failed; the stimulus package callously excludes immigrants without a social security number and those in “mixed-status” families, U.S. citizen households where one member is undocumented. But Connecticut can still act to stand up for our community.

We ask Gov. Lamont to lead with humanity. He has the power and the authority to create a response to the pandemic that is equitable and humane, and there’s no reason to wait to make that happen. Or he can choose to leave behind vast numbers of our state’s residents — my family included.