Poll: New Jerseyans Support Measures to Uplift Immigrant Community During COVID-19

New Jerseyans strongly support immigrants, according to a poll conducted by the ACLU, asking likely New Jersey voters about COVID-19 testing, economic relief, and work visa extensions.

An overwhelming majority of New Jerseyans support inclusive measures in support of immigrant communities:

• COVID-19 testing and treatment: 73 percent of New Jersey voters believe Congress should ensure testing and treatment for COVID-19 regardless of immigration status.
• Work visa extensions: 77 percent of New Jersey voters believe in automatic extension of work visas during the pandemic
• Economic relief: 63 percent of New Jersey voters believe that the state should allocate funding to support immigrant New Jerseyans who file taxes. These New Jerseyans are currently excluded from financial assistance for COVID-19 pandemic relief.

The poll, conducted by Change Research, was taken Sept. 4 through Sept. 9. During the unprecedented financial crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, communities are mounting a campaign to include immigrants, regardless of status, in economic relief.

The following can be attributed to ACLU-NJ Campaign Strategist Alejandra Sorto:

“The economic devastation we’ve seen from COVID-19 creates ripples that affect all New Jerseyans, throughout all of our communities – and the majority of New Jerseyans believe we need to act. Preventing economic catastrophe for an individual or family benefits us all and strengthens our road to recovery. New Jersey is a state that prides itself on our humanity in the face of federal policy premised on cruelty toward immigrants, and we need to put those values into action where it matters most.”

• Poll Results: New Jersey COVID-19 Relief (PDF)