Los Angeles, Jan. 27, 2020 – The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), the largest immigrant rights organization in California, criticized a ruling by the Supreme Court Monday, allowing the Trump Administration to deny entry or legal status to immigrant families and children who seek basic need assistance such as food or emergency medical care. The following are statements for Angelica Salas, CHIRLA Executive Director:
This premature ruling is so unnecessary as well as being extraordinarily cruel in its effect. It helps advance the clear objective of the Trump Administration’s White, nativist, xenophobic agenda: keep all immigrants out. The high court has ruled it’s OK to hurt children and families before the lower courts decide whether the misguided public charge policy is lawful in the first place.
America is as strong as our families are healthy. Forcing immigrants to choose between their family’s basic needs, such as food or housing–which they help fund with their own hard-earned tax dollars–and a path to legalization crosses yet another line. Trump’s public charge rule will make our communities and our nation sicker, hungrier, poorer.
The Trump Administration’s grand scheme to turn our nation’s immigration system into a merit-based, exclusive club is taking one more step forward. Today’s ruling alters in the meantime a long-standing interpretation of the Public Charge rule, and although the number of directly impacted may be small, this represents an attack on immigrant families, including U.S.-born children.
We look forward to the courts ultimately striking down this anti-family policy and to helping immigrants and their allies stand up for their inalienable rights in the meantime.
www.CHIRLA.org