As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact every aspect of our lives, the number of people experiencing hunger is staggering. Some of them are immigrants and low-income families, many of which do not even have access to COVID-19 testing and treatment, and are unemployed.
The Advocacy Action Team has been urging Congress to protect immigrants and low-income families in the next stimulus bill. Sadly, negotiations for the next COVID-19 relief package stalled three weeks ago when the US Senate adjourned for summer recess. In the interim, the President of the United States issued several Executive Orders to mitigate the economic fallout of COVID-19, but these orders are not enough to address the needs of the most vulnerable in our society.
The United States Senate is returning to work TODAY, and we need people of faith to speak out! Contact your Senators and press for the following policies to be included in the next stimulus package:
- Guarantee COVID-19 testing and treatment to all U.S. residents, regardless of their immigration status.
- Allow members of “mixed families” —families where one of the spouses is undocumented— to receive stimulus checks.
- Increase the minimum benefit available from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by 15 percent.
Tell your Senator about your conviction that feeding the poor and caring for the stranger is a core Christian value and a basic humanitarian principle. If you have a personal story, know an immigrant or have a friend or family member who is hungry and struggling during this pandemic, please share your experience.
To find who represents you in Congress, click here and here.
Please call or email members of the committee and urge their support TODAY!
- For a sample of an email text and talking points in support of the bill, click here.
- For stories about how our field personnel and churches are working directly with immigrants and the hungry click here.
- For more information about CBF’s advocacy efforts and numerous published resources on our website here.
Join CBF Conversations Thursday, September 10, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern to discuss the effects of immigration policies in children with CBF Field Personnel and founder of LUCHA Ministries, Sue Smith and experienced social worker and founder of La Puerta Waco, Emily Morrow Loachamin.
