Press Release: 2020-02-24

‘Public charge’ roundtable to focus on community outreach, questions

‘Public charge’ roundtable to focus on community outreach, questions

WHO:

Mass. Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), Health Care for All (HCFA), AILA New England, Protecting Immigrant Families Mass. partners, and community organization leaders, hosted by the Boston Office for Immigrant Advancement

WHEN:

MONDAY, February 24, 12:30–2 pm

WHAT:

Roundtable discussion on ‘public charge’ rule implications for immigrants in Mass. and community needs

WHERE:

Boston City Hall, Room 801

BOSTON – On Monday, Feb. 24, the so-called “public charge” rule will go into effect, imposing a wealth test on green card and visa applicants that aims to determine whether, sometime in the future, they might qualify for public benefits.

For three years now, expectation of this rule – and reports of what it might entail – have caused fear and confusion in immigrant communities, leading some to believe they need to disenroll from public programs that they or their children are entitled to.

The rule, as approved by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is much narrower in scope than initially proposed, but it could still have a major impact, especially on working-class immigrants applying for green cards through family petitions.

In addition, the considerable attention given to the public benefits aspect of the rule continues to have a significant hilling effect on immigrant communities, even those who are not affected.

Multiple lawsuits have been filed challenging the rule, and although the U.S. Supreme Court has lifted the last nationwide injunction blocking implementation while those lawsuits are pending, the fight against this harmful policy is not over.

Most immediately, however, the Protecting Immigrant Families campaign is focused on ensuring that our communities are well informed and have the resources they need to make the right choices for their families.

As part of a nationwide “teach-in” day organized by the campaign, Health Care for All and MIRA, who lead the campaign in Massachusetts with Health Law Advocates and the Mass. Law Reform Institute, have organized a roundtable discussion focused on community outreach: key messages, challenging questions and how to address them, unmet needs, and ways forward.

The discussion will be hosted by the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement, and will include more than two dozen representatives of organizations that work closely with immigrant communities.


NOTE: This is a community-focused event. Members of the media are invited to observe, record if needed, and interview participants before and after the discussion. Multiple handouts will be provided; for additional resources, see www.miracoalition.org/pif.