Federal COVID funds were used in Washington state to give $1,000 checks to illegal immigrants who were not qualified for federal economic impact payments during the pandemic because of their immigration status.

The Economic Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) report reveals the expenditures that were distributed by the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (SLFRF). The SLFRF was set up by the American Rescue Plan Act to help state and local governments respond to and recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. All together, that program gave $4.4 billion to Washington state.

The group’s study, which calls for a smaller federal government, talked about how $340 million was given to a program that sent $1,000 checks to people in the state who were there illegally.

The funds were passed by the legislature of Washington state in April 2021 and gave “another round of funding for undocumented Washingtonians,” a report on the program’s effects said.