Another relief fund could be coming for undocumented immigrants under a plan Gov. Phil Murphy proposed Tuesday in his budget speech.
The governor is seeking $53 million to provide one-time direct payments to residents who file taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number and did not receive pandemic stimulus aid. If approved by lawmakers, the program would provide a $500 benefit to roughly 80,000 households, state officials said.
This comes just weeks after the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund — intended to provide cash relief to undocumented immigrants and others ineligible for federal pandemic aid — received nearly double the number of applications the fund was initially intended to handle. According to budget documents, state officials expect to dole out nearly $60 million to as many as 35,000 applicants, $20 million more than initially proposed.
Officials said they learned from the mistakes made with the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund, which critics said was saddled with a cumbersome application process, shifting eligibility requirements, and a lengthy application review period. Limiting the new benefit to ITIN holders would get people money quickly, an administration official said.
More than 130,000 New Jerseyans — largely undocumented residents — file their taxes with an ITIN, a tax processing number available for some immigrants, their spouses, and dependents who cannot get a Social Security number.
People who received money through the Excluded New Jerseyans Fund would also be eligible for the $500 benefit.
The proposal would need to be approved by the Joint Budget Committee.
New Jersey is home to nearly a half-million undocumented residents, all of whom were ineligible for unemployment benefits and stimulus aid.
According to a 2020 New Jersey Policy Perspective report, undocumented immigrants pay approximately $587 million in state and local taxes each year.
Other proposals in Murphy’s budget plan include maintaining $8.2 million for legal representation for people facing deportation and $3 million for legal service programs for unaccompanied migrant children.
Murphy also announced a potential $11 million to provide health care for undocumented immigrant children.
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