Disability Advocates Decry ‘Public Charge’ Rule Limiting Aid For Immigrants
By Blythe Bernhard
Excerpt
Immigrants with disabilities could face more difficulty becoming U.S. citizens or permanent residents under new rules from the Trump administration.
Under the so-called “public charge” rule, immigration officials can deny applications for green cards based on a person’s use of government safety-net programs including Medicaid.
“An individual with a developmental disability in a low-wage job could have their low income, their health condition and their use of benefits such as Medicaid or Social Security all separately held against them,” said Elizabeth Lower-Basch of the Center for Law and Social Policy, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit. “Overall, this rule is based on an outdated and false stereotype of people with disabilities as unable to contribute to society.”
