SerpApi.Org
Starting in mid-September, it may become harder for many immigrants in California and elsewhere to get a green card.
Support organizations cite changes finalized Monday by the Trump administration to the public charge rule. The federal government is rescinding a Biden-era policy which promised government officials would not hold it against a green card applicant if they or their family used noncash benefits like housing vouchers and food stamps.
Benyamin Chao, supervising health and public benefits policy manager at the California Immigrant Policy Center, said U.S. citizen children in mixed-status families could lose out on necessary services.
“We're afraid that families who are in need of food will choose not to access CalFresh even though a child in that household is eligible,” Chao explained.
The Department of Homeland Security contended the previous policy encouraged dependency on taxpayer money. Trump tried to change the same rule during his first term.
A study from the Urban Institute found in December 2022, one in six adults in immigrant families with children reported they avoided noncash government benefits in the past year because of green card concerns.
The new rule states public benefits received before the change goes into effect will not be considered but makes no promises going forward. Chao argued the government must make it clear what will or will not be counted.
“It's sending a message that the federal government sees the needs and the health and well-being of immigrants as not important and is actively discouraging that,” Chao asserted.
The California Department of Social Services website lists reputable organizations able to provide legal advice on how to navigate the latest developments surrounding the public charge rule.
