4 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 28, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
сoronavirus
Corona vigil honors those who died during COVID-19 pandemic
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A somber gathering took place May 21
at Corona Plaza as Make the Road New
York members joined elected offi cials to
honor the dead in the community that
had been hardest hit by the COVID-19
pandemic.
Th e Jackson Heights-based immigrant
rights organization remembered its 67
fallen members while calling for stronger
protections for the millions of immigrants
and people of color who have been
excluded from state and city relief during
the public health crisis.
“I lived in Queens for more than 20
years and for the last few months I have
seen my neighbors suff er tremendously.
I lost both my jobs and every day
I worry about how I will support my
family,” MRNY member Luis Gil said.
“While the federal government is excluding
immigrants like me, New York is leaving
us behind, too. It’s time for Governor
Cuomo to step up and create the $3.5 billion
workers’ fund to help the working
class that has been excluded.”
Th e vigil was held a week aft er Make
the Road New York and Hester Street
released a report called “Excluded in the
Epicenter” based on a survey of 244 New
Yorkers, primarily Latinx immigrants that
found one in six had lost a family member
to COVID-19; nine out of 10 have suffered
household job or income loss; and
nine out of 10 worry about being able to
pay rent.
“As a survivor of COVID-19, I thought
everything would be better once I recovered,
but my nightmare is far from over,”
MRNY member Mario Chavez said.
“Aft er those traumatic days in the hospital,
I am harassed by my landlord for not
being able to pay the rent, and just like
many who have been excluded from relief,
I have to decide whether to pay the rent or
buy food. We demand Governor Cuomo
and Mayor de Blasio to pass a true recovery
for all in New York, our communities
are sick and going hungry.”
In addition to canceling rent, the organization
is calling for the release of at-risk
people from prisons and detention centers
and ensuring access to healthcare for
immigrants.
Photo courtesy of MRNY
Th ey urged the city to invest in immigrant
communities and avoid cutting vital
programs and services.
“Today we mourn the loss of over 50
Make the Road New York members who
died of COVID-19 complications,” state
Senator Jessica Ramos said. “Known as
the ‘epicenter of the epicenter,’ our district
has been ravaged by COVID-19 and
has taken the worst toll on our communities
of color and socio-economically distressed
neighborhoods. Th ese communities
are on the frontlines without adequate
protections and have been left to grapple
with extreme food insecurity, housing
evictions and unemployment threats.
With Make the Road New York, we will
continue to honor those we’ve lost by
fi ghting our hardest for the living.”
City data proves that the coronavirus
pandemic disproportionately aff ected
people of color and immigrant communities
while only 5 percent of them were
able to access unemployment insurance,
and only 15 percent had received any government
assistance whatsoever, according
to MRNY.
“While Americans across the state are
struggling with unemployment, the toll
this crisis has taken on black and brown
communities has been unbearable,”
Assemblywoman Catalina Cruz said. “Not
only have they experienced the highest
number of COVID-19 cases and deaths,
but many of our community members
who are undocumented do not qualify
for the public stimulus packages that have
provided relief to millions of Americans.
We can no longer sit by and allow our
community to be marginalized and left to
die. I will continue to push for progressive
legislation that is inclusive of everyone
regardless of immigration status.”
Councilman Francisco Moya is a lifelong
resident of Corona, which has the
highest death count of any area in New
York during the crisis.
“We are standing in the epicenter of the
epicenter of this crisis. Th e pandemic has
absolutely devastated our community, but
the federal, state and city governments
have failed to respond adequately,” Moya
said. “It’s time for Mayor de Blasio to step
up for immigrant communities, who need
real investment and attention, not austerity
plans that will cut services that are even
more vital in this moment.”
IRS launches telephone hotline for questions regarding coronavirus relief payments
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
While some individuals and families are
still awaiting the arrival of their coronavirus
relief payments, the Internal Revenue
Service (IRS) has established a special
telephone hotline for taxpayers who have
questions about their funds.
Taxpayers can call the hotline (800-
919-9835) to inquire about their checks,
which are offi cially known as Economic
Impact Payments (EIP), Congresswoman
Grace Meng announced Tuesday.
Meng is encouraging constituents in
her district to make use of the hotline.
“Many in Queens and across the nation
have received their relief payments but
some have not, and others continue to
have questions about obtaining these
funds,” Meng said. “I thank the IRS for
establishing an additional way to provide
assistance for constituents during this
diffi cult time.”
Th e IRS began sending out relief payments
in mid-April. Th e payments are
being made under the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)
Act — the third COVID-19 relief package
passed by Congress and enacted into
law.
Th e payments consist of up to $1,200
per adult and $500 per child. Th e funds
are intended to help many taxpayers with
the fi nancial burden that they are experiencing
due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On May 15, Meng voted to pass the
Heroes Act (H.R. 6800) which among
many other things, would provide a second
round of relief checks at more substantial
amounts, consisting of $1,200 per
adult and $1,200 per child, up to $6,000
per family.
Th e bill also includes a provision Meng
fought to secure that would allow immigrants
who use Individual Taxpayer
Identifi cation Numbers (ITIN) to receive
the relief payments. Th e provision would
also make these funds retroactive.
Under the CARES Act, only those who
fi le their taxes with a Social Security
number are currently eligible for the payments,
leaving out immigrants who use
an ITIN. Th e Heroes Act must now be
approved by the Senate. Taxpayers can
continue to track the status of their payments
at Get My Payment, the online portal
created by the IRS and U.S. Treasury
Department.
Th ose in Meng’s district who are still
unable to have their questions addressed
through the phone line or website can
reach out to the congresswoman’s offi ce at
718-358-MENG. Relief payments are not
subject to federal income tax and will not
change the refunds that taxpayers normally
receive.
Photo via Getty Images
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