Detroit gets $750K grant to help undocumented residents impacted by pandemic

Christine Ferretti
The Detroit News

Detroit — The city has received $750,000 in grant funding to assist undocumented residents impacted by COVID-19.

Council member Raquel Castañeda-López on Thursday announced the grant award from the national philanthropic group Open Society Foundations to establish the Detroit COVID-19 UndocuFund.

Undocumented immigrants pay taxes and contribute to the city, she said, yet "they were left out of all federal support programs" doled out amid the pandemic. 

Council member Raquel Castaneda-Lopez asks questions of Advanced Disposal Services, Inc. and GFL Environmental USA, Inc. executives.

"COVID-19 impacts everyone and doesn’t care about immigration status," Castañeda-López said. "Supporting our undocumented neighbors is imperative to ensure we reduce the spread of the virus and keep everyone safe."

Open Society's contribution in Detroit is among 20 being made by the group in major metropolitan cities nationwide for immigrant communities impacted by the deadly respiratory virus that are underserved by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

Undocumented immigrants who are are out of work don't qualify for unemployment or federal relief checks that some other Americans have relied on during the pandemic.

Detroit's fund, also arranged in partnership with the council's Immigration Task Force and Detroit's Office of Immigrant Affairs, is expected to funnel support to families through various community partners. The Immigration Task Force has spent the past month developing the accessible, community-led program, officials said in a Thursday news release. 

"The City of Detroit recognizes that undocumented immigrants are especially vulnerable, due to the increased risk of infection they face as essential workers, language barriers and their ineligibility for federal relief packages,” added Mayor Mike Duggan.

Castañeda-López said about 6.1% of the city's residents are immigrants, and an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 are undocumented. 

“Our immigrant communities have been a part of this city for generations, making major contributions to the social, cultural and economic fabric of our city,” she said. "This grant will provide much needed relief to those most vulnerable in our communities and strengthen the impact of the community organizations that serve them.”

The Immigration Task Force selected the Detroit Hispanic Development Corp. to manage the fund. DHDC will work with the Islamic Center of Detroit, Global Detroit, African Bureau for Immigration and Social Affairs, and One Michigan to distribute the funding and ensure it reaches those who qualify.  

"This aid will bring a little oxygen to our communities, who in spite of it all, must find a way to still live and face systemic challenges and administrative red tape,” said Seydi Sarr, founder of the African Bureau for Immigration and Social Affairs.

The pandemic has "pulled back the curtain and laid bare society's failure to provide basic protections for essential and frontline workers," added Patrick Gaspard, president of the Open Society Foundations, founded by George Soros.

"Absent any leadership and a plan from the federal government, philanthropy and the private sector have stepped in and stepped up to help our neighbors in Detroit and elsewhere," he said. 

 cferretti@detroitnews.com