LULAC Urges Congress To Step Up And Address People Left Out Of Senate $2 Trillion Stimulus Bill

Nation’s Oldest & Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Continues to Push Federal Legislators to Ensure that All Workers are Protected

Washington, DC - Today, the League of United Latin of American Citizens (LULAC) responded to the U.S. Senate stimulus package that leaves out protections for all individuals, including undocumented workers and their families. LULAC National President Domingo Garcia and LULAC CEO Sindy Benavides issued the following responses on the passing of the bill in the U.S. Senate while the U.S. House of Representatives considers the relief package.

"Republican Members of Congress who bypassed undocumented workers, immigrants and their families in this relief package should be ashamed of themselves,” said LULAC National President Domingo Garcia. “This is the time for humanity and compassion – not for business as usual where divisive politics and bigotry rule over the well-being of America’s communities. It is heartless to exclude people from protections or financial relief because of their immigration status. GOP Lawmakers need to put the health of all workers, regardless of immigration status, ahead of corporate executives, Wall Street, and for once, let go of their anti-immigrant biases during this health crisis that is costing lives. By failing to include full testing and treatment access for Dreamers, TPS-holders, and mixed-status families, these Members of Congress harm our most vulnerable communities and deepen the magnitude of this global health crisis. Congress must ensure any solution against the pandemic protects all working families, period.”

“While the Senate bill provides resources and assistance to many working families and medical services, it falls short of providing enough protections for immigrant communities. We must put all working families first. Every person in vulnerable communities should be prioritized to have access to testing and treatment,” stated LULAC National CEO Sindy Benavides. “We need legislation that directly addresses the needs of Latinos and all working people in this country. It is deeply troubling that President Trump and Republicans in Congress are ignoring the gravity and magnitude of this crisis. It is reckless to our nation’s public health to exclude immigrant families from access to testing, medical services, and financial relief. Now more than any other time in American history, our nation’s leaders need to ensure that all vulnerable families – regardless of immigration status – are protected and prioritized. We commend Democratic leaders for ensuring that military families with immigrant spouses receive cash payments. But we need to make sure that all families have access to testing, treatment and assistance during this emergency.”

Background

LULAC launched the LULAC@Home website to provide critical information and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. LULAC specifically created this tool for Latino communities across the country to remain connected and obtain relevant information with the click of a button. The webpage offers the Latino community up-to-the-minute and streamlined information that users can access from a computer, laptop, or mobile device, in English and Spanish.

LULAC continues to demand that the COVID-19 rescue bills being negotiated in Congress include small business owners, low wage-earners such as hotel, restaurant, hospitality, cleaning and other services/retail workers, families and children, immigrants, and farmworkers.

LULAC recently joined forces with Farmworker Justice and Justice for Migrant Women calling on legislators to represent the interests of all working families, including an estimated two to three million farmworkers who are employed across the United States.

About LULAC
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit https://lulac.org/