UPDATE:
The Biden Administration has ended the Trump-era public charge policy.
Based on FAQs about public benefits and public charge, there are 3 important things you should know.
— Children's Defense Fund-Texas (@CDFTexas) August 8, 2022
Watch this clip to learn what they are ⬇️ #SeguroTexas https://t.co/fEnPTRDJJg@putkids1st @EveryTxn @WooriJuntos @CentroMed_SA @FeedingTexas @BoatPeopleSOS @HTXimmigration pic.twitter.com/npZEHOX44l
Según las preguntas más frecuentes, hay 3 puntos importantes que debes saber acerca de los beneficios públicos y la carga pública. #SeguroTexas
— Children's Defense Fund-Texas (@CDFTexas) August 8, 2022
¡Mira este corto video para aprender más! ⬇️ #SeguroTexas https://t.co/IaQSnAF6K9@EveryTxn @CentroMed_SA @ProjectVIDAEP @TheConcilio pic.twitter.com/KbTR3lqFOW
What is Public Charge?
“Public charge” refers to a screening process that immigration officials have been using since the 1880s to determine whether someone who is seeking lawful immigration status (“green card”) will become primarily dependent on the government to support themselves. The U.S. government looks at the age, education, health status, and vocational skills together with the person’s history of using certain government benefits programs to decide whether someone is a “public charge”.
Resources
Protecting Immigrant Families:
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- Public Charge: does this apply to me? https://pifcoalition.org/resource/public-charge-does-this-apply-to-me
- On-line public charge screening tool. https://pifcoalition.org/resource/online-public-charge-screening-tool
Children Defense Fund – Texas
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- Three things to know about public charge, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUr_aay6ayA
Additional Readings
One in Seven Adults in Immigrant Families Reported Avoiding Public Benefit Programs in 2018 (Urban Institute, May 2019)
Through the Back Door: Remaking the Immigration System via the Expected “Public-Charge” Rule (MPI, August 2018)
Potential Effects of Public Charge Changes on Health Coverage for Citizen Children (Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation, May 2018)
Impact on Houston:
- The most directly affected immigrants in the greater Houston region will be people applying for LPR status or family reunification visa for family members abroad. In Houston:
- 98,000 undocumented immigrants are married to a U.S. citizen or LPR
- 122,000 are married to an immigrant who is not a U.S. citizen or LPR.
- 569,000 children under the age of 18 have a non-citizen parent
- Families most likely to drop out of benefits programs are those from mixed-status households.
Stay Informed
Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign
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