Administration’s ‘Public Charge’ Rule Would Weaken Herd Immunity, Putting All Children At Risk, Physicians Warn
“The flu season is just upon us, and we are seeing that we are having difficulty getting our immigrant children and adults in for flu shots,” said Dr. Lisa Ward, president of the board of the California Association of Family Physicians. “It is quite likely that one of the reasons is that they are too afraid not only to get health care for the adult parents but for their U.S.-born children as well, and that’s just one tiny bit of health care.” News on the policy comes out of Texas and Massachusetts, as well.
Sacramento Bee:
California Doctors: Proposed Trump Immigration Rule Threatens Public Health
California’s family physicians are warning federal officials that a proposed change in immigration rules will put public health at risk because it weakens “herd” immunity, especially in the Golden State where one in every two children has a foreign-born parent. The Trump administration on Wednesday proposed changes to a federal rule that, immigration experts say, creates ambiguity about what it means to be an immigrant who depends on the government for their support. (Anderson, 10/15)
Houston Chronicle:
Houston Health Group To Lobby Against Immigrant Policy Change In DC
Legacy Community Health, the largest network of community health clinics in Texas, will send a group to Washington this week to lobby lawmakers against a new Trump administration rule change that could hold using health and nutrition assistance programs against immigrants seeking legal residency. At issue is a proposed revision in the so-called public charge rule that would greatly expand the negative factors determining if an immigrant seeking a temporary visa or green card is now or will "likely" become a burden on taxpayers. (Deam, 10/15)
Boston Globe:
Mayor Walsh And Advocates Rip Proposal To Make It Harder For Immigrants To Get Green Cards
Mayor Martin J. Walsh, city councilors, and advocates on Monday ripped a Trump administration proposal to make it significantly harder for immigrants receiving certain public benefits to obtain green cards. Walsh, speaking during a rally in the ornate Great Hall inside Faneuil Hall, called the administration’s proposed changes to the rules surrounding green card applications a “disgrace.” (Andersen, 10/15)
