Food Lifeline Opposes Trump’s Public Charge Rule
No matter who you are, no matter what you are going through, Food Lifeline believes that food is a human right and no one should go hungry.
That’s why we strongly oppose the Trump administration’s final “public charge” immigration rule officially posted this week that is aimed at disqualifying immigrants who use certain public benefits from obtaining or renewing a green card or visa.
The scope of the changes to take effect on October 15, 2019, are overreaching and intended to cast confusion, fear, and add overt barriers to this country’s immigration policy.
The rule will also result in forgoing of services such as preventative healthcare, food and nutrition, or housing assistance to many who otherwise are eligible. These benefits are legally and rightly available to immigrants should they need them and at no time should food assistance jeopardize a person’s lawful residency or citizenship.
Food Lifeline strongly rejects the public charge rule change and its compounding related impacts that replace opportunity with invisible walls.
Public charge is only the latest of numerous other efforts by the administration to take away, limit, or impede basic assistance support that this country has construed to support people in times of need and in pursuit of a more perfect union.
As the largest hunger relief organization in the state, Food Lifeline works every day to positively impact the health of people experiencing hunger, regardless of their situation. In large part, this means providing food to 300 community-based charities and programs that work with vulnerable and low-income children, adults and seniors, including those who are immigrants.
TAKE ACTION:
– Educate your community. Click here for tools.
– Tell policymakers to defund the public charge rule (H.R. 3222) and protect families
– This rule is part of systematic attack against the immigrant population. Use your voice to make a public comment by September 23, 2019, urging lawmakers to oppose this rule: http://bit.ly/2zf4QS2.