Health & Medicine Condemns Trump Administration’s Proposed “Public Charge” Rule Change

This past Wednesday, October 10, the Trump Administration officially issued a proposed rule change related to “public charge” determinations. This is another abhorrent attack on the health and wellbeing of immigrants and their families that is meant to scare them from seeking access to programs that support healthcare, nutrition, and housing. Health & Medicine Policy Research Group joins immigrants and our partners to condemn this unjust and immoral proposal. As a member of Protecting Immigrant Families-Illinois we urge all of our partners to join us in fighting back.
What can you do? In short, advocates have sixty days from its posting date to submit public comments in opposition to this rule change. You can make a comment at this page and if you need guidance, you can click here.

There will be two webinars on Monday, October 15, 2018 about this change:

What would this rule change do? If it were to be adopted, the proposed “public charge” rule change would vastly expand the number of public benefits—to such programs as Medicaid, Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, Medicare Part D, and Section 8 housing vouchers—that would be considered when making a determination of whether or not someone will be considered a “public charge.”
Under this proposal, immigrants being deemed a current or likely future “public charge” via use of the proposed expanded list of life-saving and health promoting programs would make it much more difficult for immigrants to obtain visas, extend visas, or to adjust their status to become lawful permanent residents. This adds to the other Trump Administration policies, practices, and rhetoric against immigrants that create a climate of fear, anxiety, and trauma—causing direct harm to people. This is structural violence and it is unjust.
This is not a done deal and we must fight back. The proposed rule change is not a final rule, it is not currently in effect, and we have a comment period to provide input. We must fight back both to go on record in opposition and to try to defeat this proposal. Every comment is important both for registering current opposition and for future legal challenges to the rule change.
This proposal is an unacceptable attack on human beings. We must also let public officials know in no uncertain terms that we see their repressive proposal for what it is: xenophobic, anti-immigrant, racist, and classist. It is unacceptable and must be resisted and rejected.
Let’s stand together. Health & Medicine stands with our immigrant sisters, brothers, and family members. The Trump Administration’s attacks on families do not stand the tests of morality or justice, and will not stand the test of time or history. Join us in this struggle for justice. Make it known to the Trump Administration that their harmful attacks on immigrants are wrong and that you oppose their proposed change to the “public charge” rule.
More information and resources are forthcoming. Protecting Immigrant Families-Illinois will be updating its fact sheet soon and Health & Medicine will post the update here when it is available. You can also sign up for updates from Protecting Immigrant Families-Illinois by emailing pifillinois@povertylaw.org.

Additionally, while brief comments can be submitted to the portal now, Protecting Immigrant Families-Illinois will also be circulating template comments for organizations to customize and submit. To receive these and other updates from Health & Medicine, join our mailing list.

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