From Local Today
Illegal immigrants can apply to a pilot guaranteed basic income program in Illinois that provides participants with monthly cash payments for two years.
The Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income pilot will provide 3,250 residents with $500 each month in cash grants. Eligible Participants must meet certain thresholds to be eligible.
They must be adult county residents with a household income 250% or less of the federal poverty line or earning less than $69,375 for a four-person home.
Applicants will not be asked about their citizenship status, according to the program’s website.
The Chicago skyline. Residents of Cook County, where the city is located, are eligible to apply for a guaranteed basic income pilot program, including illegal immigrants. (iStock)
Also read: St. Paul Refugee Agency launches nation’s first guaranteed income program for immigrants
“This pilot is open to all Cook County residents, regardless of immigration status. This means that if you are undocumented or your household is a mixed status household and you meet the eligibility criteria above, you are eligible to participate. ” says the website. “We will not share immigration status information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.”
Fox News has reached out to the county regarding the program policy.
Cook County includes the city of Chicago.
The program is funded by US dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act, a White House relief plan to help those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she hopes to make the program permanent over the next few years.
“When people in communities are struggling to make ends meet, the most helpful thing we can do is give them cash,” she said in a video promoting the program. “Decades of research show that participants use the cash benefits wisely.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The application deadline is October 21st.
