The Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition (PIF) will host a webinar, “Administrative Advocacy: Blocking Bad Policies in 2025 and Beyond,” on October 22 at 2:30 pm ET. The webinar is meant to help attendees prepare to respond to policies that harm immigrant families during any new presidential administration, including policies concerning the “public charge” rule and access to public benefits for immigrants. NLIHC has supported reforms to the public charge rule in the past and urges the implementation of policies that provide accessible, decent, and safe housing for everyone.
The Biden administration’s public charge rule replaced a rule established during the previous administration that put green card applications at risk if lawfully present immigrants used public charge programs. The previous rule was shown to undermine the pandemic response and widen racial disparities in health, hunger, and poverty. A 2021 poll found that nearly half (46%) of people in immigrant families who needed help or health care during the pandemic did not seek it because of immigration concerns. The Biden rule, which was finalized in 2022, implements a much clearer framework. It restored the traditional definition of “public charge” and made clear which benefits count toward the test. It did not expand eligibility for public benefits to any new households. When the Biden proposed rule was announced in 2022, NLIHC joined over 1,000 organizations urging finalization of the rule. Research from late 2023 meanwhile showed that even after the Biden administration’s decision to halt the public charge rule in March 2021, immigrant families continued to be reluctant to participate in programs that provide vital food, health, and housing assistance.
During the upcoming webinar, attendees will learn how to respond to administrative changes to important policies like public charge or those regulating access to public benefits for immigrants, and speakers will discuss a recent Supreme Court case that may make it more difficult to block federal regulations in court. Speakers will include Amanda Baran, former policy director at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and a consultant at the Immigrant Legal Resource Center; Adam Carbullido of the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations; Betzabel Estudillo of Nourish California; and Ed Walz of Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition.
Read more about the public charge in NLIHC’s 2024 Advocates’ Guide.