There is no reason that any person going for
testing should actually be afraid that immigration
will somehow come in contact with them.
At this moment what we need to do is safeguard
resources for this health crisis.
And so, what we’re asking for, number one,
is that all immigrants, independent of their
immigration status, have access to testing,
that they also have access to the treatment
if they are found to have the virus, that
they are treated in the same way as any other
human being during this moment.
I want to let listeners understand that across
this country immigrants, undocumented immigrants,
don’t have the same access to the resources
available to others.
So this is a moment in which we say, because
we are all interdependent, where we all actually
are dependent on other people’s health for
our own health, we need to make sure that
immigrants have access to all the same level
of care.
And that also means that we increase resources
to community clinics, which in many instances
are places where the undocumented go for treatment.
That is the first place that they will go.
So we need to make sure that we also bolster
up resources across this country so that immigrants
have the same level of care.
There should be no requirement for residency,
citizenship status or any other kind of request
for information for immigrants; otherwise,
they’re not going to go move forward.
And I tell you this because we run an immigrant
assistance hotline, and we’re receiving
these calls of individuals who are calling
us just to make sure that they’re able to
move forward with testing.
The last thing I also want to say with this
is that immigrants are also the ones that
are being laid off all over this country,
who are losing their jobs, and they don’t
have access to unemployment benefits, either.
So, whether it’s access to care or access
to just some level of economic support,
they’re completely left out.
And I want to tell America, we are part of
this country.
Immigrants are part of this country.
We are the ones who have taken care of your
children, of your elderly, who are putting
food on your table right now.
And just do not forget us, and make sure that
immigrants are included in this moment of
great peril for the rest of our — for our
entire country.
