September 25, 2018

 

PRESS STATEMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Latino Leaders Express Outrage over Trump’s Public Charge Rule, the Newest Affront in his Assault on Latino Families

(WASHINGTON, DC) — The National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA), a coalition of 45 of the nation’s most preeminent Latino advocacy organizations, expressed outrage today over the Trump Administration proposal to upend existing “public charge” guidelines, which would disproportionately punish Latino families.  Public charge is a decades-old term and policy that forms part of the green card application process that examines an applicant’s means to support themselves over the long term.  The proposed regulation would warp the policy well beyond its original purpose and is a vain and thinly veiled attempt to reshape the racial composition of America for years to come.  The proposed regulation would make our immigration system a “pay to play” system favoring the rich by tacking on high-income barriers on green card applicants from working-class backgrounds. 

“We know that Trump’s relentless attacks on the Latino community betray his fears of our growing influence.  The Latino community will work as diligently as necessary to thwart Trump’s ambition to assume quasi-dictatorial powers in order to return the United States to its days of even more blatant white male privilege.  This proposed ‘public charge’ rule epitomizes the gratuitous and despicable sadism that passes for policy making under this president,” said Thomas A. Saenz, NHLA Chair and MALDEF President and General Counsel.

“Immigrant families depend on essential programs like Medicaid and SNAP to ensure access to basic needs like health care, food, and housing. By drastically expanding the definition of public charge to include these critical programs, the administration is gambling with the health, economic security, and progress of Latinxs and our immigrant communities. If the proposed rule is implemented, immigrants will be forced to choose between their own immigration status and the health and well-being of their families. We will see a sharp increase in the number of uninsured people, reduced access to care, increase in financial strains on immigrant families, and a widening of the health equity gap. We have already seen families unrolling from critical social programs for fear of being separated from their families. It is beyond clear that the public charge expansion rule would have a devastating, long-term impact on immigrants families. We must strongly reject this rule and prevent it from ever being implemented,” said Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH), Vice Chair of NHLA, and co-chair of the Latina Task Force and the Health Committee.

“Armed with little more than their own hatred for immigrants, irrespective of legal status, the administration’s rule change would have a catastrophic effect on immigrant families and children who will struggle to access health care, food, and housing throughout our nation. There is no compelling reason to pursue this course of action save for President Trump’s goal to make the United States more unwelcoming and hostile to immigrants and people of color,” said Jose Calderon, Executive Director of The Hispanic Federation.

“We are witnessing yet another attack on Latino and immigrant working families by this administration. Changing the existing ‘public charge’ guidelines will immediately impact immigrants who will stop accessing our basic public safety net support in fear of retaliation,” said Hector Sanchez Barba, Executive Director of LCLAA.  “What’s even worse is that in the long run, this change in policy is aimed at re-shaping the face of immigration to America. We will not allow our nation to close its doors to hard working families, and Congress must oppose these rules immediately. We will mobilize, and make sure this issue is a priority for our community at the ballot box!”  

“We understand the need to curtail and prevent abuse of public assistance programs but this is wholesale stereotyping that assumes the worst in everyone who needs our help for a hot meal, a trip to the doctor or a roof over their heads,” said Domingo Garcia, LULAC National President. “The fact is that this has nothing to do with either undocumented immigrants or a threat to our national security and instead penalizes the most vulnerable.  What the Administration doesn’t say is that the majority of people using public assistance in the United States are neither Latino nor recent arrival immigrants.  In fact, the people who comprise the largest single group receiving public benefits are white by an overwhelming number totaling 35-million which is 11-million more than anyone else.  LULAC believes it is a sad day in America when a President lacks a moral compass and decides to use poor children and families as scapegoats to get votes in an election. We ask Congress and the Senate to immediately hold public hearings and subpoena all emails and memos revealing the true reasons for these cruel and mean-spirited policies and why they are being adopted now?”

“The Trump administration's decision to implement new rules that would punish immigrants who receive any type of basic government assistance such as food stamps or rental housing assistance by denying them permanent legal status is yet the latest effort to stigmatize low income Latinxs as non-desirable and drive them out. From ‘zero-tolerance’ policy, the daily mass detention of immigrants across the country and countless other issues, the assault on immigrants has been pervasive and widespread in an effort to remake who is a publicly acceptable immigrant, wealthy and white like some in Washington, D.C.,” said Jose Perez, Deputy General Counsel of LatinoJustice PRLDEF.

Executive Director of Mi Familia Vota, Ben Monterroso said, “It is grossly Un-American to attack immigrant families, and to attempt to ravage their children’s future is reprehensible. These are not the principles upon which our country stands. Make no mistake, this is a racially-charged attempt to cripple and corner immigrant parents – including those with legal status – by denying them the prospect of becoming citizens for providing for their children.  We are shaken that the Trump administration would cross all ethical boundaries in an attempt to reduce even legal immigration, at the cost of our country’s basic morals. The Republican Party cannot continue to embrace this racist ideology.”

“The Trump administration has made a dangerous choice to cling tightly to their racist, misogynist, xenophobic, brutal agenda of hate instead of supporting basic values of democracy, fairness, compassion, and opportunity,” said Matt Nelson, Executive Director of Presente.org. “Our government has a responsibility for the well-being of the public, and we will not allow this inhumane agenda to further endanger our lives and trample our human rights.”

“The new regulations create a ‘pay to play’ system that favors high-income visa applicants, while attempting to keep out people that the Administration deems a ‘drain on the country,’ which disproportionately will impact Latino families,” stated Arturo Vargas, NALEO Educational Fund chief executive officer.  “As a nation, we should concentrate our limited resources and efforts on bolstering the integrity of our democracy.  We should be acknowledging the significant contributions made by immigrants to this nation – not seeking to abandon the basic principles that America was founded on, a land of opportunity for all people, rich or poor.  We will vigorously fight the adoption of this rule.”

Founding President & CEO of GreenLatinos, Mark Magaña, said, “The Trump Administration’s announced ‘public charge’ proposal is a continued attempt to vilify America’s immigrant community.  The decision aims to restrict access to health care, nutrition, and housing services for lawful immigrant children and families in the United States. GreenLatinos denounces the Administration’s harmful actions that perpetuate discrimination of our immigrant communities.”

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(The policy positions of NHLA do not reflect the views of every member organization, but reflect the decisions of NHLA as a whole.) 

 

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

  

Sandra Hernandez at (213) 629-2512, ext. 129, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tony Marcano at (213) 629-2512, ext. 128, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.