Human Development, Undocumented Immigrants, and COVID 19

A fully developed human being has the resources and time to care for self and family; to learn throughout life with accurate information; to participate actively  in key family, work, and civic institutions; to self-actualize; and of course to contribute to society producing necessary goods or services for our consumption.  

This vision of Human Agenda arose from interviewing scores of domestic and international groups asking them to identify their individual and social needs. 

A refined vision is conditioned on working for a living wage with reduced work time.  Without these, people cannot meet the first four human activities listed above.

Overwork leads to truncated partially developed human beings.  For example, men can neither fully develop themselves nor be responsible to their family if they have no time for care work or household activities. Silicon Valley, the posterchild of overwork for both well-paying tech employees and low-paying service workers, possesses many such partly developed people. 

Historically our economic system has pushed these conditions onto local lives: we have little time to care for ourselves and our family; to continue learning; to participate in institutions; to self-realize. 

To some extent COVID 19 has laid bare the dangers of overwork not only on ourselves but also on our environment.  The question remains whether we will learn from the virus.

To do so requires the development of complementary fully participatory institutions that are democratic, equitable, cooperative, kind, and sustainable, the values of Human Agenda. That is why Human Agenda supports worker-owned businesses, cooperative housing, and publicly financed health care, elections, and education, with democratic governance structures. 

Undocumented immigrants escaping persecution, poverty and deadly public policies--war, cartels, gangs, IMF-imposed conditions, etc.-- are further truncated.  Not only did they lack the opportunity and basic services for development in their home country, but now in the United States they cannot legally work, apply for FAFSA, vote, or in many instances, live together with their immediate family. 

The scarcity of financial resources and the lack of time from working multiple low-wage jobs leads to the further curtailment of their human development, beyond what the US-born already experience.   

Enter COVID-19 and a third wave of impoverishment, alienation, fear and isolation impact undocumented immigrants, which number about 1 in 10 in our community. They cannot access stimulus funds, PPP, unemployment insurance, or any traditional safeguards, especially now that they also fear becoming a public charge under President Trump’s new policies.

That is why Human Agenda has created the SOLO Solidarity Fund: Solidarity Organized for Los Olvidados (the forgotten).  COVID-19 may have challenged the lifestyles and livelihoods of local US citizens, but for undocumented immigrants it has decimated their lives.  Please donate.

Richard Hobbs is the executive director of Human Agenda, immigration attorney, and former director of the Office of Human Relations of Santa Clara County.