Trump Administration Advances New 'Public Charge' Rule

On August 12th, the Trump Administration announced that it will move forward with a new immigration rule targeting legal immigrants who legally use public benefits, including certain housing assistance. The rule, titled, “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds,” could result in the denial of green cards to immigrants who legally access housing assistance like Section 8 housing vouchers, creating, in essence, a wealth test to determine whether those immigrants have the means to support themselves, or would need to rely on public benefits.

The new rule was published in the Federal Register on Monday, August 12th, and will go into effect in 60 days.  According to the New York Times, the rule will affect an estimated 26 million immigrants living in the United States legally. Immigration groups are expected to sue the Trump administration in an attempt to block the new rule from going into effect.

Last fall, CHAPA joined 266,000 other individuals and organizations in commenting on the proposed rule. The “vast majority of commenters opposed the rule,” wrote the Department of Homeland Security in the Federal Register. CHAPA's letter stood in strong opposition to the proposed rule, stating, "The proposed change to the public charge rule undermines our mission and is a dramatic shift from decades of immigration policy... This proposed rule change is illustrative of a government that has failed to build on the strength of our values. Moreover, it harks back to some of most regrettable government actions in American history and depicts a nation that is hateful and scared."

CHAPA will continue to work with our local and national partners as a strategy develops on how to best push back against this harmful rule.