NEW YORK, NY — FWD.us New York State Immigration Director Eddie A. Taveras released the following statement today on new data showing that millions of people in New York could stand to benefit from inclusion in federal relief efforts in the latest proposed coronavirus aid legislation, the HEROES Act:

“It’s encouraging to see that the HEROES Act includes necessary relief for mixed-status New York families previously excluded from pandemic relief stimulus payments. In our state, there are an estimated 1,159,000 people living in mixed-status families, including 359,000 children and spouses who are U.S. citizens or green card holders, that have not been provided these crucial payments. Both sides of the aisle need to come together to support these individuals who are suffering because of their family members’ immigration status. To help fix this, I encourage both the U.S. House and Senate to swiftly pass the HEROES Act in order to provide support to those struggling due to this pandemic, including additional actions to safely reduce the number of people who are at dangerous risk of infection while incarcerated. New York families are depending on it.”