New York’s Democratic leaders have agreed to a one-time payout of up to $15,600 in so-called COVID relief to illegal aliens who were exempt from such payments from the federal government.

The decision to make the payments comes after New York is slated to receive tens of billions in COVID relief from President Joe Biden’s recently-signed $1.9 trillion package.

What’s more, American citizens have received far less than what some illegal immigrants will get under New York’s $2.1 billion plan, having only received payments of $600 and then $1,400 — though not all citizens got a check, the Post Millennial reported.

The program constitutes the largest payout to illegal aliens anywhere in the country, The New York Times added.

Supporters of the legislation have said that illegal immigrant workers have had an extremely difficult time during the pandemic because many of not only lost their jobs but have also been ineligible to receive any federal assistance.

The program is part of a $212 billion budget negotiated on Tuesday, reports noted. And though majority Democrats were supportive of the measure and the overall spending package, Republicans have railed against it because they say many state residents who are citizens are also struggling to get caught up after losing jobs and revenue during pandemic-related mandatory business closures and lockdowns.

The $15,600 is based on a retroactive model, amounting to $300 per week for the past year. Anyone participating in the program will have to prove they lived in the state for the allotted time and that they were not able to get federal assistance. In addition, they have to prove they “lost income as a result of the pandemic,” according to the Post Millennial.

If they can’t establish all preconditions, illegal immigrants could still receive up to $3,200, the outlet added.

The Fiscal Policy Institute noted that while it’s difficult to estimate how many illegal aliens are in New York, that figure is estimated to be in the neighborhood of 290,000 people.

By contrast, in California, another large blue state, majority Democrats only agreed to fund a $75 million program, offering $500 to undocumented workers.

At the same time, New York Democrats are paying out billions to illegal immigrants, Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo wants to raise taxes again on the state’s highest income earners. 

“If enacted, the deal would raise income and corporate taxes to generate an extra $4.3 billion a year and would potentially legalize mobile sports betting to raise an additional $500 million in new tax revenue,” the Times reported.

“Under the proposed new tax rate, the city’s top earners could pay between 13.5 percent to 14.8 percent in state and city taxes, when combined with New York City’s top income tax rate of 3.88 percent — more than the top marginal income tax rate of 13.3 percent in California, currently the highest in the nation,” the paper continued.

The budget deal and payouts to illegal migrants would come amid a report from Facebook that found business closures in New York led the country at 31 percent, along with Pennsylvania, according to a survey of 35,000 small businesses.

“Small businesses around the world have struggled since the start of the pandemic more than a year ago. While the roll-out of vaccines gives a reason to be hopeful, our latest Global State of Small Business Report is a timely reminder that many are still vulnerable and need support,” the report summarized.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Jon Dougherty

Staff Writer
[email protected]

Jon is a staff writer for BizPac Review with 30 years' worth of reporting experience, as well as an author and U.S. Army veteran. He has a BA in political science from Ashford University and an MA in national security studies/intelligence analysis from American Military University.

Latest posts by Jon Dougherty (see all)

• Jan. 6 committee chair Benny Thompson offers a stunning take on potential Trump criminal actions - January 2, 2022
• Life-long New Yorker posts ‘sad’ Twitter ode on post-pandemic Big Apple being ‘shadow of its former self’ - January 2, 2022
• NYPD officer shot in head in police lot as he slept in vehicle between shifts - January 2, 2022

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.