It is widely believed that Africans and other minorities in the U.S are likely to face more strident economic times under President Donald Trump. The administration has dusted the “public charge rule,” which requires officials to take into account whether an immigrant is “primarily dependent on the government for subsistence” in considering an application for adjustment to permanent resident status. It rarely leads to deportation, but it puts legal immigrants’ future status in limbo, and many choose to forgo benefits that could help them meet their needs.
A report says the rules are about to change, in a way that will discourage even more immigrants from using benefits. And black immigrants will be especially disadvantaged because they face the additional burden of the racially charged association of Blacks in terms of welfare. As one concerned fellow put it, “There’s already that narrative that’s been pushed for years about people of color, that they are ‘welfare queens’. Now public charge is going to be seen like we only want to come to the U.S and live off taxpayers.”
The concerned fellow, who is now a digital communications consultant running her own marketing and research firm, expatiated, “I’ve been working and paying taxes. I’ve never had welfare. I’ve never had cash from the government. But the only thing is that my child, for his health, needs to have health insurance. You can’t just have your child walking around without health insurance.”
The public charge rule takes into account an immigrant’s use or likelihood to use cash assistance like Supplemental Security Income, SSI, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, TANF, and public assistance for long-term institutional care. Medicaid (other than for long-term care) has not been considered, which is why the lady enrolled her son in it. It remains to be seen how the impending changes will affect unemployed Blacks in the U.S.
