December 10, 2018
In a matter of hours, the Trump administration officially closes the public comment period on a proposed “public charge” rule which seeks to punish families for accessing health, nutrition, and housing programs they are fully eligible for. At that point, the administration is required by law to review public comments, some 180,000 of which have been generated, overwhelmingly from advocates nationwide expressing fierce opposition. The closing of the public comment period happens to fall on a globally recognized Human Rights Day. In response, Cynthia Buiza, Executive Director from the California Immigrant Policy Center has issued the following statement to recognize the wave of opposition to Trump’s “public charge” rule:
“Since the administration formally introduced this anti-immigrant “public charge” proposed rule seeking to block families from having a safe and permanent future in the U.S., community members and leaders on the ground have come together to stop it from happening. If implemented, Trump’s “public charge” proposed rule would make us a sicker and poorer nation. This attempt to rig the immigration system for the wealthy goes against the values of opportunity, human dignity, and basic human rights that we must all uphold. The groundswell of public comments in opposition to this destructive and racist proposal should be a clear indication that families–no matter what they look like, or how much money they make–should be protected, not punished for taking care of their loved ones. We will continue to monitor the public charge attack and resolve to fight it every step of the way.”
The public comment period closes at 9:00 PM (PST) on December 10th. Public comments may be submitted via this user-friendly portal or by visiting: bit.ly/CAcomments
For more information on the impact of the proposed public charge rule, watch this video by the California Immigrant Policy Center.