Today, October 10, the Department of Homeland Security officially announced the proposed rule change to drastically alter the definition of who constitutes a “public charge.”
Although NOTHING HAS CHANGED YET related to public charge in the U.S., the proposed rule is now open for public comment.
It’s time to raise our voices to demand that the Trump administration stop forcing immigrants to choose between feeding their families and adjusting their legal status. With your help, we can put the brakes on this latest attack on immigrants.
Click here for an easy-to-use website with guidelines to help develop your comments. The comment period is open through December 10.
It’s important to note that none of the changes to “public charge” have actually taken place yet, and there won’t be any advantage to disenrolling from government programs until the rule takes effect, which would not be for several months.
If you have questions about how this may affect a pending or planned immigration application, please contact your immigration attorney. If you need help finding low-cost, high-quality legal services, call the New Americans Hotline at 1-800-566-7636 or visit our “public charge” legal resources page.
If you have general questions about public charge, contact the NYIC’s Health Policy team at 212-627-2227, extensions 249 or 250. Read more about public charge and the campaign to fight the rule here.
The NYIC’s “public charge” community information guide is available in six languages:
