Attacks on Immigrant Families Continue As Trump ‘Public Charge’ Policy Returns
Since President Trump resumed office, immigrants across the United States have been targeted, terrorized, and denied their basic needs. Harmful rhetoric and policies from the executive branch make it significantly harder for immigrant families to access federal anti-poverty programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). One of those policies is known as “public charge.”
History of “Public Charge” Policies
U.S. immigration laws restrict prospective green card or visa applicants who could become financially dependent — or a “public charge” — on the taxpayer. Guidance has long considered cash assistance and long-term institutionalized care at the government’s expense to be determining factors in a public charge review. Currently, applying for and receiving SNAP benefits has no influence on citizenship status.
As a longtime leader in the anti-hunger movement, and as a Jewish organization, MAZON is no stranger to these policies.
Jews know all too well the pain of being considered a public charge, as European Jews were subject to these policies during the rise of the Nazi Party through World War II. Seen as an “economic burden,” many Jews were barred entry into the U.S., abandoning them to Nazi deportation and concentration camps.
A Renewed Threat to Immigrants
As we saw during his first administration, President Trump is now proposing to reinstate public charge policies. On November 19, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule to rescind Biden-era guidance and create a new test without clearly saying which government benefits will count.
As a result, immigrant families may be scrutinized and punished for any past or future application or acceptance of government benefits including SNAP. This will clearly have a chilling effect in immigrant communities across the country. In fact, the proposed rule estimates that nearly half a million SNAP recipients will disenroll or forgo enrollment altogether — including those who are legally eligible for the program.
Responding With Urgency and Morality
MAZON was a leading voice in opposing the first Trump administration’s public charge rule finalized in 2019. By endorsing legislation, submitting public comments, publishing press statements, and joining an amicus brief which led to a temporary injunction, MAZON stood committed to protecting food security for immigrants.
Once again, we stand against President Trump’s public charge policies and their malicious intent to harm immigrant families. MAZON submitted a formal comment urging DHS to withdraw the proposed rule and joined various coalition efforts to express support for immigrants’ basic needs.
At the end of a year of high food prices, Republicans in Congress stripping SNAP eligibility from 90,000 legal non-citizens, and a government shutdown which saw an unprecedented lapse in SNAP benefits, MAZON continues to use its voice to advocate for the most vulnerable populations whose food security is at the heart of our mission.