Advocates Warn Public Charge Rule Will “Deny Immigrants Fair Chance at American Dream”
This week, the Trump administration announced its intention to reinstate their highly controversial “public charge” rule, which would use lawful immigrants’ participation in “means-tested public benefits,” including SNAP, against them in immigration proceedings. Leaders from the national anti-hunger advocacy nonprofit MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, which was a leading voice in opposing the initial rule in 2019, spoke out about the dangers of the proposal and the harmful impact it would have on countless communities.
MAZON President & CEO Abby J. Leibman stated:
“At every turn, President Trump and his administration have sought to increase hunger and hardship for anyone who doesn’t look like them, sound like them, or think like them. By bringing back the public charge rule from his first administration, which was rightfully overturned when he lost power, the President is again denying immigrants a fair chance at the American dream and instilling fear across the country. As a Jewish organization, we are painfully aware of the ways in which such policies were used against immigrants in our own families at the beginning of the last century, and we will not tolerate the cruel return to a time when people seeking a better life were rejected simply because they needed food assistance as they adjusted to a new life in America.
“Plain and simple, this policy will make life harder and more painful for immigrants and their families, including children who are U.S. citizens. It was designed to dissuade them from seeking critical food assistance benefits, and it celebrates an odious and impossible choice that runs counter to who we are and what we stand for as Americans. Adding insult to injury, this comes amid a true hunger crisis in this country, and at a time of heightened concern about hunger among immigrant communities. It was only a few months ago that Republicans in Congress stripped SNAP from about 90,000 legal non-citizens, including refugees, asylum seekers, and those with humanitarian status such as survivors of domestic abuse and trafficking.
“Whether President Trump admits it or not, we are a nation of immigrants — a fact that we as Jews see as an inherent part of our community. Just as we did the last time Trump pushed for this repugnant rule change, MAZON and our partners will oppose it through every avenue available to us, every step of the way.”