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New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) is thinking about using $40 million in federal funds to give undocumented immigrants one-time stimulus payments. On Tuesday, representatives from Murphy’s office hinted at the figure during a conference call with immigrant advocates. Sources said the conference call became “pretty heated” over the amount to be given to undocumented immigrants. New Jersey immigrant groups are seeking relief measures for undocumented immigrants after they were excluded from past funds, with some recommending $2,000 in stimulus payments and $600 in unemployment-like benefits. POLITICO New Jersey
In other local immigration news…
Inside New York City’s Biggest Financial Relief Effort for Undocumented Immigrants
📍 Documented Original
Open Society Foundation created a $20 million pandemic financial relief fund, the Immigrant Emergency Relief Program, for undocumented immigrants in New York City last March. City Hall was in charge of distributing that money as quickly as possible. The money went to more than 24,000 individuals on a first-come-first serve basis, and potentially benefitted three times as many people, according to data provided to Documented by the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. A year after the creation of the fund, Documented put together a clearer picture of where it went through documents and records from the city and interviews with nonprofit groups and city officials who ran it. Read more at Documented.
Two Dozen Indonesian Asylum Seekers Now Face Deportation
The Biden administration is in court fighting to deport two dozen Christian Indonesians in Central New Jersey who were originally protected by the Obama administration and then targeted by the Trump administration. The Indonesians, who have lived in the U.S. for two decades and are afraid of religious persecution in their home country, could be arrested, detained and removed at any moment if the federal judge rules in favor of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Indonesians and their attorneys are bewildered at the fact that President Joe Biden’s Justice Department is backing the Trump administration’s position in this case, especially since the acting director of ICE said the agency is not looking to deport undocumented immigrants with no criminal records. Gothamist
