ABOUT
Job loss shouldn’t be a crisis for our families, our neighbors, or our friends.
We are working to create an accessible unemployment system that includes undocumented workers.
Our state works best when all workers have the right to stability if they lose their jobs.
The Problem
When the unexpected happens and we experience job loss - we should all still be able to feed our families, clothe our kids and keep a roof over our heads. Every worker - no matter where they come from, how much they make, or their immigration status - deserves to have a pivotal safety net to fall back on if they lose their job.
However, Washington State’s current unemployment system excludes certain workers solely because of their immigration status.
1.2 million immigrant workers play a pivotal role in ensuring we all can thrive in Washington. They harvest the foods on our tables, maintain our hospitals, and provide childcare to our kids, and yet their exclusion from unemployment benefits leaves them without the support we all deserve as Washingtonians.
All employers pay into the unemployment insurance program on behalf of their workers., no matter their immigration status. We all also contribute to our state’s economy when we spend our hard-earned money on things such as groceries and clothes. In 2022, undocumented workers in Washington paid an estimated $1 billion in state and local taxes (including unemployment insurance taxes) despite being excluded from social safety net programs.
It’s time to ensure vital workers are excluded no more and can access the supports they contribute to.
The Solution
It’s time to right this wrong and include undocumented workers in our statewide unemployment system. Job loss affects everyone, regardless of immigration status; the system that supports our communities shouldn’t be based on immigration status either.
Our state legislators have a unique opportunity to make Washington a welcoming state by passing legislation in 2026 to create a Wage Replacement Program and expand our social safety net to excluded undocumented workers. We need to ensure all Washingtonian workers feel safe, secure and protected during job loss.
Expanding job loss benefits to include undocumented workers is about honoring the worth of every worker, irrespective of our immigration status, and ensuring our access to crucial support in times of uncertainty.
Who We Are
The Unemployment System for Excluded Immigrant Workers Coalition is comprised of immigrant & labor rights organizations across Washington. Our vision is to create an accessible unemployment system that that includes undocumented workers.
Our coalition formed in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic caused extreme job loss across the country. During COVID, unemployment insurance proved to be a critical tool to mitigate the negative impacts of the economic recession and the sudden job loss suffered by thousands of Washingtonians. But COVID also revealed faults in the system, including that too many workers weren’t covered by this basic insurance against job loss. Many immigrant workers and the industries that rely on them – quintessential Washington industries like farming, hospitality, healthcare – were left behind.
Due to this, in 2020 our coalition advocated and won millions to establish the Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund that provided economic relief to individuals and families excluded from federal stimulus funds or unemployment benefits because of their immigration status. Between 2020 and 2023, the Washington COVID-19 Immigrant Relief Fund provided an unprecedented $400 million in COVID relief money for over 100,000 immigrants in Washington State. However, this was a temporary program, and we are looking for a sustainable solution.
In 2021, we introduced our first bill to permanently expand Unemployment Insurance to Undocumented Workers.
Today, we continue to fight for legislation that will create a permanent Wage Replacement Program so that excluded undocumented workers have a safety net if they experience job loss in WA state.