Trump targets immigrant families with harsh policy requiring them to choose between social services or permanent residency

 

The Trump administration’s new “public charge” rules will become a burden on some 75,000 immigrants living in NYC by requiring them to choose between securing permanent residency or receiving food stamps.

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“For us, as an administration, this is yet again another attack on immigrants, particularly low- and middle-income immigrants — who are in some cases eligible for these benefits and able to receive them,” Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Bitta Mostofi said to the NY Daily News.

“And in other [cases] might, in the future, have to choose between access to food and healthcare and housing and obtaining stabilized immigration status.”

As Trump officials and the Department of Homeland Security promote the measure as a way to save money opponents worry that it will instead deprive already struggling immigrants from vital services.

Under the new proposal, immigrants who receive public assistance like SNAP food stamps would have it counted against them in their effort to seek residency in the US and would be forced to choose which one is more important to them. It would include immigrants, and refugees who seek asylum and even those already have legal permanent resident status.

Also it would put at risk a person’s green card application — including their age, whether they are sick and if so if they have health insurance, their household size and their income level, according to the news outlet.

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Not only would the 75,000 be affected, another 400,000 immigrants in New York City could be turned down based for a green card because of the new measure, according to the city’s analysis.

“In total, that’s about 475,000 individuals who might in the near future or prospectively seek to stabilize their status, and could be subject to this test, and based on the factors outlined both in terms of benefit eligibility as well as that further analysis, could be found ineligible,” Mostofi said.

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