Over the past few months, I have heard many of my friends, family members, and coworkers vent their complaints about canceled conferences, closed borders, and interrupted vacation plans. I personally felt the frustration of trying to have a conference flight refunded, only to realize that pandemics are not covered by the insurance that I purchased on my ticket. However, my concerns seem minimal in contrast to those brought up by my immigrant friends, who face high levels of insecurity because of COVID-19.
Refugees, undocumented immigrants, and others who are tangled in the complexities of the American immigration system have strong reasons for concern as new immigration policy emerges during the novel coronavirus. In this post, I analyze some of the implications of these policy changes for different groups of immigrants, and I offer suggestions for how readers can support their friends who may be dealing with the uncertainties of the immigration system. I also offer some resources that can be helpful for immigrants who need legal advice or healthcare in the midst of this pandemic.
Refugee Resettlement
On an international scale, refugee resettlement by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) faces a temporary moratorium. Due to safety and health concerns driven by COVID-19, the UNHCR announced on Mar. 17 that no further refugees would be resettled internationally. With over 80 percent of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) based in low- and middle-income countries, these refugees face heightened insecurity and a lack of access to healthcare infrastructure that can address their needs.
For refugees and IDPs who now must wait extended periods of time in camps before they can be resettled internally or abroad, sanitation, hygiene, and healthcare are central concerns. Often living in close quarters and lacking access to clean water, this vulnerable population especially needs assistance from international organizations like the UNHCR, Doctors Without Borders, and the International Rescue Committee. The best way that Novel Hand readers can help aid this population is through donations of time and money to support the missions of these organizations, which offer direct aid, resources, services, and other support to refugees and IDPs.
Documented Immigrants
Domestically, documented immigrants have received some permissions to live and work in America, or they may already be citizens of the United States. Many documented immigrants who are not citizens hold visas such as the H1-B, which enables immigrants to work in the country and must be renewed upon a regular basis. Because of the novel coronavirus, delays in processing and renewal have led experts to predict that possibly “over 200,000 workers in the United States on H1-B visas might lose their legal status by June,” leading to an economic and human rights crisis for documented immigrants. For H1-B visa holders and other documented immigrants who need to know the impact of these changes on their abilities to live and work in America, Johns Hopkins University compiled an informative guide to help address these uncertainties.
Additionally, discrimination against documented immigrants factors into a number of other inequalities, including barred access to the stimulus checks established in the CARES Act. More critically, the U.S. government announced an executive order suspending the entry to new immigrants under the justification that these immigrants threaten the economy, which is under extreme duress because of the COVID-19 outbreak. While this suspension is currently set to expire on June 22, Novel Hand readers can advocate for immigrants by calling their Congressional representatives and asking that this suspension not be renewed.
Undocumented Immigrants
In the United States, undocumented immigrants face the greatest insecurity because of the coronavirus. These individuals often work as essential, frontline workers, yet receive few or none of the protections that allow them to work safely and to protect themselves from exposure to the virus. As farm laborers, custodial staff, and factory workers, undocumented immigrants are especially vulnerable both to the coronavirus and job insecurity because of the pandemic. Many undocumented immigrants have reported they cannot take sick days, work from home, properly social distance, or seek medical care as many middle class and upper class Americans have been able to over the past months.
Despite paying federal taxes and serving the country as frontline workers, undocumented immigrants are barred from direct access to the stimulus relief and to the unemployment insurance that is keeping nearly 36 million Americans afloat during the pandemic. Undocumented immigrants especially need help through expanded access to unemployment insurance, equitable work safety laws that allow workers to take sick leave, free access to COVID-19 testing and treatment, and a moratorium on ICE detentions and deportation. In addition to advocacy work, Novel Hand readers can help connect undocumented workers to legal aid and other resources that can help them seek advice or treatment throughout the pandemic.
Through solidarity and shared cooperation, we can each lend a hand to the vulnerable members of our communities during this uncertain and frightening time. From grassroots organizing to international coalitions, our shared efforts can help mitigate the uncertainty and insecurity brought by COVID-19.
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