No Public Charge Deportation Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. MENG. Madam Speaker, for over 100 years, public charge has been part of U.S. immigration law as a ground of deportation. It is time we change that part of law, especially with how the current administration is weaponizing this rule to hurt families and limit them from accessing critical safety net programs.

Since the Trump administration published the new public charge rule in 2018, there are reports that this has led to chilling impacts on immigrant families participating in safety net programs for fear of jeopardizing their immigration status. One in seven adults in immigrant families reported that they or a family member did not participate in a noncash benefit program in 2018, out of fear of risking future green card status. Even permanent residents who would not be affected by this proposed rule have reported forgoing safety net programs.

Madam Speaker, even more frightening is that this rule instills fear in families with children. In fact, the rule could lead up to 4.7 million people to withdraw from Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program alone. This fear has resulted in parents trying to opt out of free school lunch for their children--New York State schools have free lunch for all students--out of concern that they may be deemed a public charge and even possibly lose status and be deported.

That is why, I am introducing the ``No Public Charge Deportation Act'', which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to remove public charge as a ground of deportation.

The Trump administration is weaponizing the public charge rule to discriminate against low-income immigrants and immigrants of color. We need to assure families that they will not be deported if they legally use critical benefits such as Medicaid, SNAP, and housing assistance.

Madam Speaker, families should not have to decide between putting food on the table and risk getting deported. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation to make sure families will not forgo programs that help provide basic necessities because of a public charge rule.

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