At the beginning of next year, Minnesota will become the latest in a growing number of states that offer paid leave benefits to residents. However, the state agency running the paid leave program refuses to say whether illegal aliens can access paid leave benefits.
In 2023, Democrats in control of state government passed legislation which enshrined paid leave benefits into law. That program, which becomes operational on Jan. 1, allows workers to take 12 weeks of medical leave or family leave per year. If someone decides to use a combination of family and medical leave, they can receive benefits for up to 20 weeks.
During that leave, program recipients are paid between 55% and 90% of their regular wages. At present, weekly benefits cannot exceed $1,423 per week. The funding for this program comes from payroll taxes on employers and employees.
Every Minnesota employer is required to participate in the program except for independent contractors, Indian Tribes, and those who are self-employed. Businesses across Minnesota have consistently warned that the costs of the program will lead to business closures.
Full-time, part-time, temporary, and many seasonal workers are all eligible for paid leave benefits and their jobs are protected while they are on leave.
Are illegal aliens eligible for paid leave benefits?
Alpha News wanted to know whether illegal aliens are eligible to receive paid leave benefits in the same way they are eligible to receive Minnesota driver’s licenses and a tuition-free college education.
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, perhaps the chief critic of the paid leave law, has noted that “undocumented workers” are eligible to receive paid leave benefits. Of course, “undocumented workers” is just another way of saying “illegal aliens.”
As such, Alpha News reached out to the Chamber about the claim. A spokesperson for the group said much of its information came from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the state agency that oversees paid leave.
The Chamber spokesperson noted that a reference to “undocumented workers” being eligible for paid leave appeared to be scrubbed from a DEED webpage.
In turn, Alpha News reached out to DEED and asked whether illegal aliens are eligible for paid leave. The state agency was also asked to identify the portion of state law that allows illegal aliens to receive paid leave benefits.
A spokesperson for DEED sent Alpha News the following statement:
“Paid Leave provides partial wage replacement and job protection for Minnesota workers. Eligibility for benefits is based, in part, on wages paid to individuals working within the state. Employers report employee wages quarterly, including employees’ Social Security Number or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number provided by the IRS.”
In addition to ignoring Alpha News’ questions outright, the DEED statement appeared to be nothing more than a naked attempt at obfuscation.
As such, Alpha News expressed a desire for a plain language explanation and asked again if illegal aliens are eligible for paid leave benefits. In response, the spokesperson said “DEED does not have anything else to add to the statement provided.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
