Capital
Undocumented Workers Who Power New York’s Economy Finally Get Pandemic Aid
- Estimated to boost New York's battered economy
- The landmark fund could be a model for other states
Protestors march across the Brooklyn Bridge in March to demand funding for excluded workers in the New York State budget.
Photographer: David Dee Delgado/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
Thousands of undocumented immigrants who lost their jobs working as cooks, delivery workers, day laborers, nannies and in other essential jobs are finally getting pandemic unemployment aid.
New York state has approved applications for nearly half of a $2.1 billion fund — the biggest of its kind — to help workers excluded from government aid during the pandemic. The state is starting to disburse $550 million this week from the landmark Excluded Workers Fund (EWF). Since opening on August 1, it has received more than 163,000 applications, mostly from undocumented immigrants.