On Thursday, acting state Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman revealed that the coronavirus pandemic assistance program for illegal immigrants has received so many applications that the $40 million funding would most likely be exhausted before the Feb. 28 deadline.
Human Services spokesperson Eva Loayza-McBride told NJ Advance Media that the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund has handed out $9.2 million in cash payments to 4,000 accepted applicants as of Wednesday. However, if all 13,900 pending applications are approved, the $40 million will be spent, according to Loayza-McBride.
Individuals who earn less than $55,000 will get a $2,000 stimulus check, while families earning less than $55,000 would receive a $4,000 stimulus check.
Stimulus Check Upto $4000 Available
Individuals who entered the country illegally, persons who have recently been released from prison, and homeless people – groups that do not qualify for unemployment or stimulus payments — benefit from the fund. Many people pay taxes and face layoffs, forcing them to choose between coming to work unwell or going without compensation.
According to the release, the state will accept applications through Monday, Feb. 28.
It’s unclear how much more than the $40 million in pandemic assistance that Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration is willing to provide. Murphy’s spokesperson declined to comment on Thursday night. After being introduced in October, the initiative got off to a sluggish and rough start.
Immigrant rights groups had complained that the state had done a poor job of publicizing the program. They said many consumers found the application procedure too time-consuming to complete before the deadline of Dec. 31. Only $6 million from the program was used, with the remaining $34 million going to COVID-19 expenditures.
The state also made the application process easier by removing the need that applicants to show how the outbreak impacted their finances.
