A California woman whose son needs intensive medical care says she felt "like something blew up in my face" when she learned of a Trump administration rule that would make it tougher for legal residents like her to become citizens if they access the very services her son is eligible for — such as Medicaid. Immigrants seeking to change their legal immigration status and who are enrolled in publicly funded programs such as food stamps and public health insurance could be deemed a “public charge” under the new rule starting on Oct. 15. Officials use the term to define someone who they consider may be likely to need public assistance in the future.
Immigrant Rights
The ‘public charge’ rule runs counter to the whole spirit of our country.
President Trump arrives to speak at a factory in Monaca, Pa., on Tuesday. His administration announced new rules this week that would prevent immigrants who access some public benefits from becoming permanent residents. (Susan Walsh/AP)
It wasn’t that long ago that racism carried decisive political cost for Republicans. Back in 2012, Ken Cuccinelli, then the attorney general of Virginia, did an interview with a conservative show called The Morning Majority and spoke of immigrants in a manner many considered to be a comparison to vermin. “It is worse than our immigration policy,” he said of Washington, D.C.’s pest control standards. “You can’t break up rat families. Or raccoons, and all the rest, and you can’t even kill ‘em.”
The Trump administration is moving forward with regulations that are expected to dramatically reshape the U.S. immigration system by denying green cards and visas to immigrants who use — or are expected to use — a wide range of federal, state and local government benefits, including food stamps, housing vouchers and Medicaid. The final version of the "public charge" rule, which has been a top priority for immigration hard-liners in the White House, is set to be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday.
The rule is set to take effect in 60 days but is expected to draw legal challenges from immigrant-rights groups and others.
Today, the Trump Administration announced its final changes to the public charge rule, which will be published on August 14, and go into effect 60 days later, on October 14. Because of the time it will take to implement, we urge people not to immediately suspend their government benefits; this policy will not apply to applicants retroactively.
A coalition of 25 Vietnamese American, Asian American, immigrant, student, and civil rights organizations published an open letter on Monday slamming Orange County government officials for siding with the Trump administration as it challenges California’s so-called “sanctuary” law, which prohibits state and local police agencies from using their resources to enforce federal immigration law.
Hermitage, Tennessee community members rushed to a neighbor’s home to protect him and his son from Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents early Monday morning, Nashville Scene reports, at one point forming a human chain around the van where the family had been stuck so they could safely exit into their home.
On July 18, more than 200 people gathered outside the Capitol Building for a Catholic Day of Action for Immigrant Children. Catholic leaders and immigrant-rights activists called out the mistreatment of families as a violation of human dignity and contrary to religious teachings. After reckoning with reports of conditions in the detention camps, and a final prayer, the group moved to the Russell Senate Building rotunda to protest the administration’s immigration policies. The Lord’s Prayer and names of children who’ve died in custody filled the air. Police promptly issued warnings, then arrested 72 people for unlawful demonstration in the space. Becky Belcore, co-director of NAKASEC, advocates for the Reuniting Families Act, which would protect the family-based immigration system that is under threat of being changed to a merit-based system that prioritizes higher-educated and wealthy people.
Museums are increasingly adding social and political activism to their schedules of events. A panel at the Japanese-American museum in Little Tokyo will take a cross-generational look at the challenges and opportunities Asian American communities face as they continue to grow and engage in political action around causes including the fight against gentrification, organizing immigrant workers and other political campaigns. Eddie Wong, co-founder of Visual Communications, the first Asian Pacific American media organization in the country, will highlight the visual dimensions of protest, and will moderate a conversation with Florante Ibanez, Miya Iwataki, Sandy Maeshiro, Tiffany Do, Frances Huynh, Sophia Cheng, Jonathan Paik, and Sophia Cheng.
The Supreme Court says it will hear arguments over the legality of the Trump administration’s decision to terminate the Obama-era immigration program. DACA shields certain young migrants brought to the United States illegally from deportation and allows them to receive work permits. The justices announce in an order that they will review three cases on the matter in their next term, beginning in October. A decision is expected by next June, in the thick of the 2020 presidential campaign.