Contra Costa Co. officials: Accepting some types of welfare may soon affect immigrant status
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. (KTVU) - A new proposal by the Department of Homeland Security could mean stricter rules for immigrants seeking legal status.
The proposal would add more factors in how dependent an immigrant is on government services when determining to award legal status.
The proposal would apply to immigrants seeking a green card and those who have legal status but are seeking to change to a legal permanent resident.
At La Clinica Monument in Concord, CHE Community Health Educator Katia Rahal helps people enroll and renew their health insurance through Covered California and Medi-Cal. She said lately several legal immigrants are telling her they do not want coverage anymore out of fear it will affect their legal status.
“It’s very sad to see people say, ‘I just came in to say I’m not going to renew. I want to take all my information off. How can I delete everything? I don’t want them to have anything from me.’” Rahal said. “I can’t believe it.”
She said the fear and misconceptions surround the federal government’s proposal to redefine a status known as “public charge.” It is a category used to determine whether someone seeking legal permanent resident status is likely to become dependent on government assistance. Right now, immigration officials consider whether an applicant receives cash welfare. The new proposal would expand that to include housing assistance, Cal Fresh or food stamps, and Medicaid or Medi-Cal when determining someone’s application for legal status.
Contra Costa County Health Officer Dr. Chris Farnitano said the changes would force people to decide between caring for their family or trying to get a green card. He said it is a difficult decision that families shouldn’t have to make.
“These are hard work residents in our community who may not be seeking healthcare,” Farnitano said. “We are strongly against this proposal because it may lead to people not getting healthcare. Our mission is to care for all the residents of Contra Costa County with special attention of those most vulnerable and this is going to interfere with us trying carry out our mission.”
Local community leaders in Marin County are also against the proposal. They said many immigrants have abandoned their healthcare, housing, and nutrition assistance. San Francisco Mayor London Breed called the proposal an abusive attack on immigrant communities.
Rahal said she has already had to convince a man who had a kidney transplant to keep his health insurance after he wanted to cancel it. In another instance, she said a pregnant woman wanted to cancel her insurance because she feared having it would be considered a “public charge” that would negatively affect her family’s petition for legal status.
Contra Costa Housing Authority Executive Director Joseph Villarreal criticized that focus on housing assistance, saying that the federal government has had a long-standing prohibition on housing authorities providing assistance to undocumented immigrants.
"Threatening the housing stability of legal immigrants seems especially counterproductive as our region battles a rise in homelessness and a lack of affordable housing for all income levels," Villarreal said in a statement. "Investing in housing and other essential needs keeps adults employed, children in school and prevents families from living on the street."
Veterans benefits, public education, school lunch programs and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (more commonly known as WIC) will be excluded from consideration, however.
The official proposal has not yet been published. It is expected to be released Wednesday. Anyone interested in voicing their opinion on the proposed rule change can do so at https://www.regulations.gov.