House Democrats’ Coronavirus Package Includes ‘Amnesty’ for Some Illegal Immigrants, Critics Say

The $3 trillion coronavirus relief package released by House Democrats this week includes protections for illegal immigrants who work in jobs declared “essential” — a move that Republicans are blasting as an attempt at “amnesty.”

The mammoth bill includes a section on page 1,737 on “temporary protections for essential critical infrastructure workers.”

That section of the bill allows some illegal immigrants — who are “engaged in essential critical infrastructure labor or services in the United States” —  to be placed into “a period of deferred action” and authorized to work if they meet certain conditions.

It also grants protections to those employers who hire illegal immigrants, stating that “the hiring, employment or continued employment” of the defined group of illegal immigrants is not in violation of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The move was flagged by Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Ken Cuccinelli as a push by Democrats to grant “amnesty” to illegal immigrants and protection to those who employ them.

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