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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Local activists fundraise for undocumented immigrants amid COVID-19 pandemic

Activists+have+raised+more+than+%2445%2C000+in+four+days+for+undocumented+immigrants+in+D.C.+through+a+GoFundMe+page.+
Eric Lee | Staff Photographer
Activists have raised more than $45,000 in four days for undocumented immigrants in D.C. through a GoFundMe page.

Local activists are raising money for undocumented immigrants not supported in the D.C. Council’s emergency COVID-19 legislation passed Tuesday, DCist reported.

Activists have raised more than $45,000 for undocumented immigrants since launching a GoFundMe page Sunday, working toward a flexible goal of $120,000 that might increase if enough donations are received, according to DCist. Brandon Wu – an activist and organizer with Sanctuary DMV, a volunteer group involved in the fundraiser – told DCist that other local organizations will distribute the money to community members in need.  

The fundraiser will remain open as long as people are eligible to receive stimulus checks from the federal government, DCist reported. The checks will be sent out in waves starting in about three weeks and possibly throughout the following 17 weeks, CNN reported last week. 

Some people have pledged to donate their stimulus checks to undocumented immigrants, Wu told DCist.

“A bunch of people who are not out of work are going to be getting those checks, and a bunch of people who really need it because they’re out of work and can’t access unemployment benefits are excluded,” he said. “So our thought was, ‘Why don’t we start a fund to redistribute that money from folks who don’t need it to folks who really do?'”

Maryland-based immigrant advocacy group CASA has also launched a similar fund.

Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a stay-at-home order last week, mandating that residents not leave their houses save crucial trips, like to the grocery store or to essential jobs.

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