Elected Officials Express Outrage Following Supreme Court's Approval of Expanded 'Public Charge' Rule

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Jan. 29, 2020 By Kristen Torres

Several Queens elected officials were outraged by the Supreme Court’s ruling Monday that will now make it harder for low-income immigrants to get a green card.

The court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled in favor of new “public charge” rules that will allow officials to deny green cards to immigrants who utilize public services such as Medicaid, housing vouchers and food stamps.

Critics of the new rule argue that it will lead to many immigrants foregoing much-needed social services, since they will be worried about jeopardizing their chances of obtaining a green card.

Congresswoman Grace Meng, who represents central and eastern Queens, slammed the ruling on Twitter Monday.

“This draconian rule will deny them [immigrants] critical safety net programs for health care, housing, food & other basic needs,” Meng wrote.

Legal immigrants have & may forego these critical safety net programs for fear of deportation. That’s why I'll be introducing the “No Public Charge Deportation Act” to remove public charge as a ground of deportation. #POTUS' immigration policies are heartless & immoral! 2/2

— Grace Meng (@RepGraceMeng) January 28, 2020

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents portions of north-central Queens and parts of the Bronx, also took to Twitter on Monday, writing that the U.S. shouldn’t have a “wealth test for admission.”

“The American Dream isn’t a private club with a cover charge,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “It’s the possibility of remaking your future.”

City Council Member Francisco Moya, who represents Corona and surrounding areas, echoed the sentiment, saying the Supreme Court’s “blessing” establishes a “wealth test for citizenship.”

Make the Road New York, a national advocacy group, also condemned the Supreme Court ruling, arguing that the policy is racist.

The organization sued the Trump administration when it announced the changes back in August, arguing that it would mostly affect immigrants from predominantly non-white countries, such as those in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia.

The Supreme Court’s decision Monday reversed a ruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York. That ruling had stopped the policy from going into effect while the lawsuits were ongoing.

The public charge rule previously allowed the government to deny immigrants who would primarily rely on financial governmental support from gaining permanent resident status.

But Trump’s rule expands the types of benefits considered “public support” to include Medicaid, food stamps and federal housing vouchers.

“This decision will hurt immigrant communities,” said Javier Valdés, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, in a statement Monday.

“The Trump administration’s public charge rules attack our loved ones and neighbors by imposing a racist wealth test on the immigration system,” Valdes said. “We will continue our fight in the courts to stop this reckless policy in its tracks.”

This is shameful. America shouldn’t have a wealth test for admission. It’s a place where millions of people are descendants of immigrants who came w nothing & made a life.

The American Dream isn’t a private club with a cover charge – it’s the possibility of remaking your future. https://t.co/qKm7BuUhXI

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 27, 2020