Stimulus check payment: US government sued over exclusion of children of immigrants
Children of undocumented immigrants are suing the government for being denied the stimulus payments designed to help with economic hardship caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act provides for stimulus payments to eligible adults of $1,200 and up to $500 for each of their children to help with economic hardship caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that has rocked the US economy.
However, in order to receive the money the claimants must have social security numbers, which undocumented migrants lack. This means that their children cannot get stimulus checks even if they are US citizens.
Lawsuit brought over stimulus checks
A group of these children have now brought a lawsuit against the government for this denial of the coronavirus stimulus payments. The group filed a class-action lawsuit in Maryland's federal district court today, Tuesday, arguing that their exclusion is unconstitutional.
One of the plaintiffs, identified only as Norma, said in a statement released by her lawyers that she had lost her job when the restaurant she worked in was closed because of the pandemic and she has no way to get the relief money for her US-born son.
“I have lost my job, and in my home three adults have the coronavirus; none of us are working. My son is an American citizen, and we need him to receive the CARES Act benefit to provide food and a roof over his head until this difficult moment passes.”