08.12.19

By: Nicole Gaudiano
Source: Politico

House education chairman slams Trump 'public charge' immigration rule

The chairman of the House education committee on Monday strongly criticized a Trump administration "public charge" rule, saying it will "inflict severe and unnecessary hardship" on immigrants. 

"It is inconsistent with our principles and it will have terrible consequences for communities across the country," Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) said in a statement, warning that immigrants could be forced to choose between basic assistance for food, shelter and health care and potential separation from their families.

Acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli praised the regulatory change at a White House press briefing Monday morning, saying, “We want to see people coming to this country who are self-sufficient.” 

But Scott said the rule will have the effect of penalizing families for using benefits such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program and Medicaid. 

"One regrettable result will be that fewer children will have access [to] child nutrition programs, such as free school meals," he said. "This comes at a time when the administration is already considering action that could strip automatic eligibility for free school meals from more than 500,000 low-income students."

A coalition of public health associations, educators and pro-migrant activists have argued the public charge rule will force parents to forgo essential services for their children.

Thomas J. Gentzel, National School Boards Association executive director and CEO, said in a statement to POLITICO that families forgoing public benefits to which they're entitled will hurt many public school students. The association's schools rely on federal funding derived in part from the numbers of public benefit applications and recipients in a particular school district or area, he said.

"Because we know that homelessness and child hunger and access to medical care all factor into learning and academic achievement, placing families in the untenable position of having to choose between food, access to healthcare and shelter and legal immigration status, will adversely impact the lives of children, not only for immigrant children, but also for the many other children and families in poverty that are served by public schools," Gentzel said.

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said he is ready to take legal action against the "vile rule," calling it the Trump administration's "latest attack on families and lower income communities of color.”

In California, home to more than 10 million immigrants, Becerra said among those the rule will hurt will be child care and early education providers and low-income graduating students, whose incomes would become a factor when they apply to change or extend their visas.

"It will harm our communities, schools and workplaces by weaponizing essential healthcare, housing, and nutrition programs," Becerra said in a statement.