Legal Immigrants Forgoing Aid For Infant Formula, Healthy Food For Kids In Fear Of Losing Green Card Eligibility

The panic stems from a potential Trump administration policy that would penalize legal immigrants if they receive aid from the government. “It’s a stealth regulation,” said Kathleen Campbell Walker, an immigration attorney at Dickinson Wright in El Paso, Texas. “It doesn’t really exist, but it’s being applied subliminally.”

Politico: Immigrants, Fearing Trump Crackdown, Drop Out Of Nutrition Programs

Immigrants are turning down government help to buy infant formula and healthy food for their young children because they’re afraid the Trump administration could bar them from getting a green card if they take federal aid. Local health providers say they’ve received panicked phone calls from both documented and undocumented immigrant families demanding to be dropped from the rolls of WIC, a federal nutrition program aimed at pregnant women and children, after news reports that the White House is potentially planning to deny legal status to immigrants who’ve used public benefits. Agencies in at least 18 states say they’ve seen drops of up to 20 percent in enrollment, and they attribute the change largely to fears about the immigration policy. (Bottemiller Evich, 9/3)

The Hill: Immigrants Turning Down Infant Formula, Food Aid Out Of Fear Of Trump Policies: Report

Some immigrants have avoided purchasing infant formula and food for their children through a federal nutrition program out of concern the Trump administration may block them from obtaining legal status, Politico reported Monday. The news outlet reported that documented and undocumented immigrants have called local health providers asking to be taken off of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), a federal nutrition program that assists pregnant women and young children. (Samuels, 9/3)

In other news —

WBUR: 3 Separated Children Were Sexually Abused At Shelters, El Salvador Says

Three children from El Salvador were sexually abused at shelters in Arizona after they were separated from their families, Salvadoran officials said Thursday. ... The allegation follows a July ProPublica report which found that in the past five years, police responded to at least 125 calls alleging sex offenses in shelters where mainly migrant children stay. (Ingber, 8/31)

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