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Families With Undocumented Members Will Be Included In Upcoming Stimulus Payments
Covid-19 testing underway in Crenshaw. Chava Sanchez/LAist
The $900 billion coronavirus relief package passed by Congress this week includes checks for households with undocumented family members.
If President Trump signs the bill, U.S. citizens or green card holders will be eligible for a $600 check, even if they filed a joint tax return with an undocumented spouse. The package will also retroactively grant $1,200 stimulus payments to mixed-status families who were excluded from receiving those checks in the spring.
"Clearly, they were not treated fairly or equitably under the other iteration,” said Belinda Escobosa Helzer, the national senior counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education League (MALDEF), which sued the Trump administration over the exclusion. “This new CARES Act appears to remedy that problem."
According to the National Immigration Law Center, there are 3.5 million people in mixed immigration status families across the U.S.
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