盧勝彥佈施基金會很榮幸能與華盛頓州的慈善機構和社區組織，一起呼籲州長在  COVID–19 病毒危機中採取立即行動，以支持和保護移民和難民。

Immigrants & WA's COVID-19 Response

Washington’s philanthropic and community based organizations have come together to request that Governor Inslee take immediate steps to protect and support immigrant and refugee Washingtonians amid the COVID-19 public health crisis.  

Thank you for joining us in this call to action! This letter was sent to the Governor on Monday, May 4, 2020.

 

Dear Governor Inslee:

 

Thank you for your leadership in addressing the novel coronavirus pandemic in Washington State, and for your ongoing commitment to racial equity and inclusion.  In these challenging times, we are learning that COVID-19 is disproportionately impacting the health of already vulnerable communities of color, including immigrants and refugees.  We also know that the effective shut down of much of the economy required by physical distancing is having a disproportionate impact on workers in lower-wage industries and on families with less income and economic stability.

 

We are alarmed by data from the Department of Health that indicate Hispanic/Latinx residents make up 28% of COVID-19 cases in Washington though they constitute only 13% of our state's population. This reflects existing inequities in our society, and the influence of federal anti-immigrant policies. Compounding the impact of the pandemic are decisions being made at the federal level that exclude immigrants and refugees, including 250,000 immigrants without documentation living in Washington State, and their families.  Pre-existing policies, many of them adopted under the current federal administration endanger immigrant and refugee communities: policies that discourage immigrants from applying for public benefits, that increase enforcement, detention and deportation at the expense of due process, and that undermine refugee resettlement programs and infrastructure.  These actions have already negatively impacted the health of immigrant and refugee families and communities.  And now that the pandemic is here, these circumstances have only been exacerbated as many immigrants and refugees are serving as essential workers, exposed to the virus with inadequate safety equipment or access to health care and services.  Immigrants and refugees are putting their own health and well-being at risk to make important contributions for the health of our communities and economy.

 

Building on Washington State's strong record of welcoming immigrants, we must do all that we can as a state to ensure that immigrant and refugee communities are not subject to disproportionate impact of the current crisis, but are positioned to be a dynamic part of the recovery.

 

Washington's philanthropic and community based organizations urge the State to protect and support immigrant and refugee Washingtonians.  Specifically, we are requesting that you exercise your executive authority to act on the following:

 

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Washington's economy has benefited enormously from the economic, cultural and civic contributions of immigrants regardless of their immigration status.  In the current pandemic, Washington is relying on essential workers, including immigrants and refugees, to keep the state running and economy afloat.  In the fight against this pandemic, we are all in this together, and we urge you to do everything possible to alleviate the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on the lives of immigrant and refugee Washingtonians during this critical time. We look forward to working with you in advancing Washington's response to the pandemic through strong and decisive exercise of your executive authority in a way that will help all Washingtonians weather the economic crisis and pave the way for our eventual road to a collective recovery.

 

Again, we thank you for your leadership in these unprecedented times and are at your disposal to discuss how we can work even more closely together to meet the needs of all Washingtonians. Should you have any questions, please direct them to Rich Stolz, Executive Director of OneAmerica <Email住址會使用灌水程式保護機制。你需要啟動Javascript才能觀看它>

and Fo-Ching Lu, President of SYL Foundation <Email住址會使用灌水程式保護機制。你需要啟動Javascript才能觀看它>.