Should California’s undocumented workers get unemployment benefits? New bill says ‘yes’
“’We all knew that in the pandemic, low-income immigrant workers were going to be the hardest hit with the least support and financial relief,’ said Feldstein. ‘So, over the past two years, we’ve been calling for a better, stronger safety net that would include all Californians and all workers.’
California is home to 2 million undocumented immigrants, including more than 1.1 million workers, according to a December 2021 analysis from the UC Merced Community and Labor Center. Many of these workers are more likely to experience lower wages and greater financial insecurity than those legally allowed to work in the U.S. At least 38% of California’s undocumented workers live in households that earn less than a living wage, according to the study.”