There is still a short time to protest the new Public Charge Rule, with the devastating changes proposed by the Department of Homeland Security. This rule change will penalize immigrants for using the few benefits that are available to them or their (often American citizen) children, denying them any future eligibility for US citizenship. Just the possibility of its passing has created a climate of fear among all immigrants, who are afraid to participate in any public health (including vaccinations), housing, or nutrition programs. Two ways to participate:
- Come to the “Speak Out Against Public Charge” event on Monday, Dec. 3, 6-8 pm, Human Services Building, 1 Smithfield St. downtown. More info. here. OR
- Send in a comment on your own, which is easy to do online! You can do it through the link provided by “Protecting Immigrant Families” OR directly through the official US Government site at regulations.gov , where you paste this: USCIS-2010-0012 – into the search box, click on Search, and then click on “Comment Now.” Need suggestions? PICC and Community Legal Services of Philadelphia created a toolkit to help. All comments on this proposed rule must be submitted by Dec. 10, 2018.