Washington State Announces Stimulus “Relief” Fund for Illegal Aliens
August 2020
Following on the heels of California, Oregon and Connecticut, the State of Washington will now be the latest to start issuing COVID-19 “stimulus” funds to illegal aliens.
On August 10, Governor Jay Inslee (D) announced that the state would establish a $40 million “Immigrant Relief Fund” specifically for those who didn’t qualify for federal stimulus funds, i.e., illegal aliens.
Eligible illegal aliens will receive awards of up to $1000. Payment would come from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services but be administered under contract with the department by a nonprofit organization, presumably an open-borders group. Funds would start being distributed in the fall and be available through the end of the year.
Unlike the other states, which have funded their stimulus from state revenues, Inslee indicated Washington’s would apparently be funded from federal money it received under the CARES Act, but which was not subject to the same immigration restrictions as the federal stimulus checks.
Open-borders groups were pleased but immediately demanded even more money, with Paul Quiñonez Figueroa of the Washington Dream Coalition saying “[w]e kind of see it as a down payment,” and that they hope the state will provide more funds after these expire in December.
However, State Senator John Braun (R-Lewis County) said he thought the funds would be better spent on the state’s senior citizens, who are especially at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, “particularly, ones that are in long term facilities … That’s where people are dying, and I can’t justify doing this and, at the same time, cutting support to our long term care facilities.” A recent state report indicated that over 56% of Washington State’s COVID-19 deaths have been in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities
Additionally, according to the state’s Employment Security Department, over 391,000 Washingtonians, including US citizens and legal immigrants, were unemployed as of August 8, a rate of 9.8%. Tens of thousands of them are still owed back benefits. Yet despite paying state taxes, none of them will qualify for these state stimulus funds.