Undocumented Immigrants Hit Hardest By Coronavirus Crisis

President Trump Signs Coronavirus Stimulus Bill In The Oval Office — Vice President Mike Pence speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a bill signing ceremony for H.R. 748, the CARES Act in the Oval Office of the White House on March 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. Earlier on Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved the $2 trillion stimulus bill that lawmakers hope will battle the the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hannah Uebele is a producer for Under the Radar with Callie Crossley and previously worked as associate producer for Boston Public Radio. She graduated from Tufts University with a B.S. in English and Environmental Studies. She's a proud Delawarean but has found herself saying "wicked" more and more often, so the Bostonian metamorphosis is well underway.Contact: hannah_uebele@wgbh.org

March 31, 2020

Updated August 07, 2023

"Boston Globe" business columnist Shirley Leung spoke with Boston Public Radio on Tuesday about how the coronavirus crisis is affecting undocumented immigrants.

"Congress just passed this $2 trillion stimulus plan," said Leung, "and [undocumented immigrants] won't get a penny of it, because they don't have a social security number, even though they may be working and paying taxes."

Undocumented immigrants will not qualify for unemployment benefits, and will not be able to receive a stimulus check, Leung added.

"What makes this a worst case scenario for undocumented immigrants is that they are really the backbone of the hardest hit industries of restaurants, hospitality, and retail," she said. "So they are hit the hardest, yet they will get very very little help."