08 SEP 2022

Biden Administration Reverses Discriminatory Trump Era Public Charge Regulation 

WASHINGTON, DC - The Biden-Harris Administration has published regulations reversing the Trump-era ‘public charge rule— one of the most racist and abusive anti-immigrant policies introduced by the Trump Administration to weaponize basic needs and deny health care and food to U.S. citizen children and families that needed it the most. The Department of Homeland Security has issued a final rule that provides clarity on application of ‘public charge’ laws to noncitizens seeking to immigrate to the U.S.

Sergio Gonzales, Executive Director of the Immigration Hub, issued the following statement: 

“We applaud the reversal of this horrendous Trump era policy that hurt immigrant children and families, and was one of the most racist and cruel immigration policies established by the Trump administration.

“The Trump administration’s ‘public charge’ rule was aimed at drastically decreasing the arrival of Black and Brown immigrants. Guided by these xenophobic ideals, Trump tightened the ‘public charge’ wealth test for immigrants into a chokehold, strangling legal immigration and sending a clear message: if you are not white and you are not wealthy, you are not welcome here. Stephen Miller even touted hurting low-income immigrant families and children as one of the proudest ‘achievements’ of this policy and volumes of research show that Miller’s plan worked as designed. It scared immigrant parents away from applying for vital food and health care programs that they or their children are legally entitled to use. 

“We also thank DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and USCIS Director Ur Jaddou for working to make sure this final rule is fair and humane. We urge the administration to continue to conduct outreach on the new rule with the community so that people do not need to fear coming forward to apply for benefits that they are eligible to receive. We would also like to recognize  advocates’ work to reverse Trump’s ‘public charge’ rule and make clear that our country will not discriminate based on race or wealth against immigrants seeking to contribute to America. 

“Reversing Trump’s ‘public charge’ rule will help break down the invisible wall that Trump put into place to keep out and harm the most vulnerable immigrant families of color, but there is more work left to be done. Our leaders must continue to create a more fair, humane and functional immigration system that recognizes the contributions of immigrants to our nation, past, present and future.” 

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The Immigration Hub is a national organization dedicated to advancing fair and just immigration policies through strategic leadership, innovative communications strategies, legislative advocacy and collaborative partnerships.