Public Charge
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Trump Administration Public-Charge Rule Would Amplify Harms to Immigrant Families
A Trump administration proposed rule that would give government adjudicators wide discretion in deciding when public benefits use can be held against green-card applicants and prospective immigrants could discourage many eligible households, including those with U.S.-citizen children, from accessing health, nutrition, and education supports—with significant implications for well-being, as this short read explains.
Immigrants and the Use of Public Benefits in the United States
Most noncitizens in the United States face significant restrictions on access to federally funded public benefits—particularly unauthorized immigrants.
A Century Later, Restrictive 1924 U.S. Immigration Law Has Reverberations in Immigration Debate
The 1924 Immigration Act's eugenics-influenced national-origin quotas reshaped U.S. demographics for decades and its core provisions still shape U.S. immigration law.
The Public-Charge Final Rule Is Far from the Last Word
The Biden administration public-charge final rule undoes deep restrictions imposed during the Trump era, codifying much of the policy in place from 1999 to 2019. Yet confusion and fear over triggering negative immigration consequences will continue to keep many immigrants and their U.S.-born relatives from accessing benefits and services for which they are eligible absent a robust educational campaign, this commentary explains.
Biden at the One-Year Mark: A Greater Change in Direction on Immigration Than Is Recognized
The Biden administration 's first year brought sweeping but underappreciated immigration changes even as border challenges remained unresolved.
Border Challenges Dominate, But Biden’s First 100 Days Mark Notable Under-the-Radar Immigration Accomplishments
President Joe Biden's first 100 days brought sweeping immigration changes. But a record surge of border arrivals exposed significant gaps between promises and policy capacity.
Anticipated “Chilling Effects” of the Public-Charge Rule Are Real: Census Data Reflect Steep Decline in Benefits Use by Immigrant Families
Researchers, service providers, and others have long predicted that sweeping revisions by the Trump administration to the definition of who constitutes a public charge would deter large numbers of immigrant-led households from using federal means-tested public benefits for which they are eligible. Recently released Census Bureau data show they were right: During the administration's first three years, program participation declined twice as fast among noncitizens as citizens.
Crisis within a Crisis: Immigration in the United States in a Time of COVID-19
COVID-19 forced dramatic U.S. immigration restrictions, including ending asylum at the border, halting benefit processing, and excluding some immigrants from pandemic relief.
The Public-Charge Rule: Broad Impacts, But Few Will Be Denied Green Cards Based on Actual Benefits Use
While the Trump administration public-charge rule is likely to vastly reshape legal immigration based on its test to assess if a person might ever use public benefits in the future, the universe of noncitizens who could be denied a green card based on current benefits use is quite small. That's because very few benefit programs are open to noncitizens who do not hold a green card. This commentary offers estimates of who might be affected.
Health Insurance Test for Green-Card Applicants Could Sharply Cut Future U.S. Legal Immigration
A new Trump administration action requiring intending immigrants to prove they can purchase eligible health insurance within 30 days of arrival has the potential to block fully 65 percent of those who apply for a green card from abroad, MPI estimates.
