‘We don’t know what to do.’ Proposed Trump rule strikes new fear in immigrant communities
The proposed changes are making legal immigrants reconsider applying for public benefits that they are entitled to, such as
A
"I don't want the simple act of using
Her son, age 5, has autism. He is eligible for the state-federal health insurance program, but she is an undocumented immigrant and her angst stems from talk in the community that legal permanent residency in the
"Before, I was sure that I was going to keep
Proposed rule up for public comment
The
Under the current policy, the public benefits that are considered a public charge are mainly monetary assistance. They include Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, state and local cash assistance programs and long-term institutionalized care.
The proposed rule would add food stamps, housing vouchers and subsidies, Medicaid (
Those who will be scrutinized under the proposed public charge rule would be immigrants trying to come into the
Visas that would be affected under the public charge include temporary business or pleasure visas and some temporary worker visas, for example. The proposed rule would not apply to certain groups, such as refugees and asylum seekers, as well as Afghans and Iraqis with a special immigration visa.
Homeland Security spokeswoman
But since most people who are hoping to come to the
Family-based migration under attack?
While it's unclear how many immigrants in the
During his State of the Union speech in January, Trump called for ending "chain migration." He said, "under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives."
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The most common path for people to obtain a green card is through the family-based migration system, representing about 70 percent of the roughly 1 million green cards issued annually, according to the
In
While the public charge has been around for a long time, the way it's being expanded "it's a very cruel way to do it," Gonzalez said. "Any individual or family member who is trying to (become legalized) based on a family petition through their spouse, through their child, and they have received public benefits, then their application is already set up to be denied. It's just creating an additional barrier for them to have to overcome."
Immigrants should be self-sufficient?
The proposed policy changes by the
"A nation in
"It's a mistake to allow these type of programs to become a virtual magnet for people to come here,"
Fear, even among green card-holders
The proposed changes are stirring fear, even among those who are already green card-holders.
The Trump administration, she said, is making her organization's "work difficult."
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Advocates say this will not affect green card-holders from becoming naturalized
So far, no one has asked to withdraw an application for reasons related to the proposed executive orders, Du'Chene said. "But in working with our community-based organizations, we are hearing from them that the population is sharing they did not want to apply," she said.
A decline in CalFresh enrollment has been seen statewide but Du'Chene is hesitant to pin the trend to fears over public charge. "The economy is improving," she said.
More hungry, more homeless?
Twelve years ago, the
All four children have full
Homeland Security says if a child is a
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Immigrants contribute $1B+ in taxes, $3B+ investments into
The undocumented
Health organizations across
Since the implementation of the Affordable Care Act,
"We fear that people who qualify for
The only resource left for people without coverage would be to get medical treatment at hospital emergency departments, which can cost 500 percent more than going to a doctor's office, he said. "This proposal is counterproductive and will lead to higher health care costs."
The
But she's torn. She wants to get a green card so she can go to
"Do I keep it? What should I do? This is something that I'm really frustrated about that I can't even sleep because I'm constantly thinking of what to do."
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