A coalition of activists Wednesday was running caravans in the Southland and around the state to urge legislators to provide financial relief for an estimated 360,000 undocumented Californians who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
According to the activists, undocumented people are “disproportionately bearing the impacts of the COVID-19 global pandemic.”
“In California, data shows that despite being labeled essential, 360,000 undocumented workers have lost their jobs,” Jamila Brown, a representative of the coalition more than 100 nonprofit organizations said in a statement.
“Those that continue to work are at much higher risk of falling ill due to Covid-19, losing the ability to support their families,” Brown said. “They need the support of wage replacement to afford food and shelter for their family.”
On Wednesday morning, a caravan was planned beginning about 8:30 a.m. near the Ronald Reagan State Building in downtown Los Angeles. Other caravans are planned in Sacramento and in Lodi.
The “Safety Net for All” coalition is comprised of labor, immigrant rights, and policy organizations across California, and is working with legislators to advance a wage replacement program to help provide providing weekly cash payments for undocumented and unemployed workers to support their families.