The Legal Aid Society expressed strong support for a deal cut by New York lawmakers this week to provide unemployment benefits for at least 275,000 undocumented workers who lost income or were unemployed during the COVID-19 pandemic but did not qualify for unemployment or stimulus checks, as reported by BK Reader.

Under pressure from immigrant rights advocates, the deal came to fruition after a 23-day hunger strike and public infighting among Senate Democrats.

The Legal Aid Society said undocumented immigrants had to fight fiercely to get the fund passed, despite their sacrifice. Many undocumented workers do jobs the state deemed “essential” during the pandemic.

“Essential workers never stopped working during the pandemic and kept the city and state running while putting their own lives and their families at risk,” reads a statement from The Legal Aid Society.