SHARE: In 2010, it was the MTA payroll tax. In 2012, it was same-sex marriage. And in 2020, it was bail and police reform. Now, a new wedge issue seems to have emerged for Republicans in New York ahead of the 2022 elections: providing unemployment benefits to undocumented workers. Already, it seems that disinformation about the $2.1 billion so-called excluded workers fund is beginning to spread as Republicans in the state and even nationally express staunch opposition to the program. Assembly Member Kieran Michael Lalor appeared on the right-wing news network Newsmax and falsely stated that undocumented immigrants who can’t prove residency can still receive benefits. That was after he published an op-ed that erroneously said the fund is $5 billion, inflated the maximum benefits it would provide and perpetuated the idea that all undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes by saying they don’t contribute to unemployment insurance. In an email to City & State, Lalor doubled down on the erroneous $5 billion number without saying where in the budget it comes from, said that he wrote the op-ed before negotiations were finalized to explain the erroneous payout number (despite the piece referring to the passed budget) and said that excluded workers by definition don’t pay into unemployment.