“Do It for Your Children:” Mixed Status Families Experiences with the Stimulus Checks

The 22 million Americans who are part of mixed-status families, i.e. families where some members have legal status but others do not, have experienced challenges in receiving the Economic Impact Payments (EIPs) that so widely benefited American residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors of this Urban Institute study conducted research to better understand the experiences of these mixed-status families and to offer suggestions for improving access to EIPs. The authors conducted interviews with 12 adults in mixed-status families in the Washington, D.C. area. The interviews explored questions about the individual, social and economic impacts of the EIPs. They found that EIPs improved the well-being of immigrant families, whether it was through covering housing costs, paying off debt, or supporting their children’s education. On the other hand, many mixed-status families that had filed their taxes automatically in the past and who received the EIPs were anxious about risks to their immigration status and worries over possible repayment, largely based on misinformation they heard. Based on the feedback from the interviews, the authors encourage policymakers and grassroots organizations to improve access to information about EIPs, particularly to combat the misinformation that can flourish in a crisis. They also advised families to be proactive in looking for this information and in seeking reputable tax preparers. (The Immigrant Learning Center’s Public Education Institute)

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