NJ Latino Groups Reach 200K Voters With COVID-19 Relief Campaign

NEW JERSEY — They’ve reached 200,000 New Jersey voters in a month. But the drive to raise awareness about the struggles of the Latino community during the coronavirus pandemic isn’t stopping now, a coalition of advocacy groups say.

On Thursday, several organizations — including LUPE PAC, the Latino Action Network, UnidosUS Action Fund and Make the Road New Jersey — announced they hit the key milestone in their non-partisan strategic partnership, which turned out hundreds of thousands of phone calls and text messages.

Their goal? Urge voters to contact Gov. Phil Murphy and the state Legislature to push for coronavirus relief for immigrants.

According to a joint statement from the groups, the alliance was formed in the wake of news reports last month that said Latino men in New Jersey make up nearly half of all COVID-19-related deaths of people under the age of 50, even though Latino men only represent 12 percent of the population and are seven times more likely to die of the disease than white men in New Jersey.

“Immigrant families, predominantly Latino, have been left behind from federal relief and nearly every form of COVID aid,” the coalition stated, adding that 343,000 Latinos in New Jersey are uninsured, “representing the largest percentage of any group.”

• See related article: NJ Immigrants Deserve Coronavirus Aid, 100 Teachers Say

“Latino immigrant workers that have kept our state running during the COVID crisis have been shut out from accessibility to aid and are contracting the virus and dying at alarmingly disproportionate rates,” said Laura Matos, president of LUPE PAC.

“We urge Gov. Murphy and the state legislature to act now to provide COVID aid to those workers and their families that have been left behind,” Matos said. “Our families’ lives depend on it.”

Christian Estevez, president of Latino Action Network, said the group’s members will continue to fight until everyone has access to income replacement, health care and the aid they need to survive.

“Latino voters and voters of color have been clear: Our communities will not be left behind from relief,” Estevez said.

Deyanira Aldana, lead organizer at Make the Road New Jersey, said the situation is urgent.

“In our conversations with voters, so many shared stories of deaths in their family, of immigrant brothers and sisters being forced into dangerous situations because they could not access aid,” Aldana said.

Rafael Collazo, executive director of the UnidosUS Action Fund, agreed.

“Latino immigrants in New Jersey are not political pawns,” Collazo said. “They are children, neighbors and essential workers from our communities that deserve access to COVID-related health and economic support. It’s time for our state officials to provide this much-needed assistance.”

• See related article: Democrat Plan Could Give 11M Immigrants A Path To US Citizenship
• See related article: 'Ban ICE Contracts:' New Push For Immigrant Rights Launches In NJ

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