Chicago-area’s guaranteed income program open to illegal immigrants

Illegal immigrants can apply for a guaranteed basic income pilot program in Illinois that will provide participants with monthly cash payments for two years.  

The Cook County Promise Guaranteed Income Pilot will send 3,250 residents $500 each month in cash assistance. Eligible participants must meet certain thresholds in order to be eligible. 

They must be adult residents of the county and make a household income of or below 250% of the federal poverty level or make less than $69,375 for a house of four.

Applicants will not be asked about their citizenship status, according to the program website. 

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“This pilot is open to all residents of Cook County, regardless of your 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,” the website states. “We will not share information on immigration status with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.”

Fox News has reached out to the county about the program policy. 

Cook County includes the city of Chicago. 

The program is being funded by the American Rescue Plan Act dollars, a White House relief plan to assist those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said she hopes to make the program permanent in 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 advertising the program. “Decades of research shows that participants use the cash benefits wisely.”

The application period is open through Oct. 21.