Chicago nurse married to noncitizen takes action after stimulus check denied
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A Chicago nurse practitioner says she's one of the 1.2 million U.S. citizens not getting a stimulus check because she's filed her taxes with her spouse who doesn't have legal status in the country.
Alexandra Mendez currently works two jobs to support her seven children.
She told ABC7 that she feels her own government is discriminating against her because of whom she chose to love.
The $2.2 trillion package that Congress approved to offer financial help during the coronavirus pandemic has one major exclusion: millions of immigrants who do not have legal status in the U.S. but work here and pay taxes.
"My rights were violated as a United States citizen, as well as my children. But I've channeled that into action, into calling all of my representatives. There is millions of people in my situation, frontline workers, essential workers and this is unjust," Mendez said.
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Mendez said she's also working on joining a federal class-action lawsuit filed in Chicago last week.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
