Friday, August 16, 2019

Tell House Dems: Pass No Federal Funds for Public Charge Act (H.R. 3222)

The petition to Democrats in the House of Representatives reads:
"Pass the No Federal Funds for Public Charge Act (H.R. 3222)."
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►
Early this week, the Trump regime finalized a racist policy that would make it easier for the government to deny green cards to immigrants who have used Medicaid, Medicare, housing or food assistance. That means families and seniors will have to choose between their health and well-being and pursuing a path to citizenship. We cannot let this stand.Donald Trump and Stephen Miller's cruelty is endless.
Rep. Judy Chu's No Federal Funds for Public Charge Act would block the Trump regime from using federal funding to implement this cruel new policy.2 Speak out now to demand that Democrats in the House of Representatives pass this important bill.
Public charge is a category the government uses to determine whether someone seeking permanent resident status is likely to rely on public assistance to live in the country. In the past, xenophobes and racists have used public charge claims to keep out Jews fleeing Nazi Germany, LGBTQ families and people with disabilities. Now, the Trump regime is expanding and weaponizing it to advance its white supremacist agenda. We must stop this attack now.
The rule change would subject immigrants more likely to use public benefits like low-income immigrants, immigrants over the age of 65 and those with large families to a higher level of scrutiny when they apply for a green card. If an individual or anyone in their family has a record of using Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP or housing assistance, including Section 8, the government could label them a public charge and deny their application.
This attack is already having a chilling effect on immigrants, preventing many of them from accessing vital services. A recent survey showed that 20% of immigrant adults chose not to participate in a public benefit program for fear that the government would deny their green card application.3 That is appalling. Immigrants are eligible for many public benefits. They have every right to participate in programs they qualify for without putting their immigration status at risk.
For the Trump administration, the cruelty of this new policy is the point. It's also a blatant attempt to force Black and Brown immigrants into the shadows, kick them out of the country, and make citizenship a privilege reserved for white and wealthy immigrants only.
Thirteen states just filed a federal lawsuit challenging Trump's public charge policy.4 Now, it's up to us to keep the momentum going. Pushing Democrats in the House of Representatives to block federal funding for Trump's cruel expansion of public charge is one way we can show our immigrant neighbors, friends and family members that we have their backs.
Tell House Democrats: Not one dollar for Trump's racist public charge rule. Click the link below to sign the petition.
- Nicole Regalado, CREDO Action
Add your name:
Sign the petition ►
References:
  1. Michael D. Shear, Miriam Jordan and Caitlin Dickerson, "Trump’s Policy Could Alter the Face of the American Immigrant," The New York Times, Aug. 14, 2019.
  2. Rep. Judy Chu, "Rep. Chu Introduces Bill to Block Implementation of Proposed Public Charge Rule," June 12, 2019.
  3. Quinn Owen, "Trump administration underestimating impact of new immigration rule, advocates say," ABC, Aug. 15, 2019.
  4. Geneva Sands, "13 states sue over legal immigration 'public charge' rule," CNN, Aug. 15, 2019.

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