October 01, 2018

Duckworth Statement on Trump Administration’s Inhumane “Public Charge” Proposal

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – In response to reports that the Trump Administration will propose a new rule that would allow immigration officials to deny green cards to immigrants for the wholly legal action of using public benefits like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement:

“This proposal is as heartless as it is dangerous. My family teetered on the brink of homelessness when I was in high school and relied on food stamps to survive. My own mother is an immigrant—and if this proposal had been in place during those years, my family could’ve been forced to choose between her citizenship and going hungry.

“No family should have to face that choice. No one should have to decide between seeking urgently needed health care—or shelter, or food—and getting ripped away from their loved ones. This proposal isn’t just unfair. It’s cruel, unacceptable and un-American.”

 

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