Photos: Isseu Diouf Campbell
Immigrant advocates gathered at the New York Immigration Coalition for a press conference on January 28, 2020, a day after the U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 vote that now allows the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) public charge rule to go forward. The Court’s decision on January 27th lifts the federal injunction and allows the administration’s changes to go forward.
The changes to the public charge rule means immigrants who access certain federally-funded programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, and subsidized housing assistance could be deemed public charges and, as a result, have their applications for green cards or certain visas denied. Not all immigrants are affected by the rule, as it excludes legal permanent residents, refugees, asylees, victims of trafficking, and other protected groups.
Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for most public benefits, and therefore will similarly not be affected by the rule.
New Yorkers who have questions about the new rule and whether it applies to them should contact the Office for New Americans hotline at 1-800-566-7636 to receive more information.
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