THE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE
AND RELATED DEMENTIAS
FAMILY SUPPORT PROGRAM.
Caribbean Life, M 6 arch 27-April 2, 2020
New York Attorney General Letitia James. Associated Press / Richard Drew
Attorneys general implore
Trump to halt implementation
of public charge rule
By Nelson A. King
A coalition of 18 attorneys general
from around the United States
have called on the Trump administration
to delay implementation of its Public
Charge Rule against Caribbean and
other immigrants as the coronavirus
(COVID-19) progresses nationwide.
The Public Charge Rule drives immigrants
and their families away from
accessing the health benefits to which
they are entitled by threatening their
eligibility for green cards and visas.
As the coronavirus spreads across the
US, the attorneys general said immigrants
should be encouraged to access
health insurance and medical care, “but
the Trump administration’s rule does
the opposite.”
“Every person who doesn’t get the
health coverage they need today risks
infecting another person tomorrow,”
said New York Attorney General, Letitia
James, the lead attorney general on the
issue.
“More and more individuals across
the nation become infected with the
coronavirus every day, yet the Trump
administration refuses to assure immigrants
that getting the tests and health
coverage they need will not be used
against them,” she added. “At this time,
we should all be working to make testing
and health coverage available to
every single person in this country,
regardless of immigration status. Our
coalition will continue fighting to protect
the health and well-being of our
nation by halting this rule.”
The attorneys general said US federal
law allows lawful immigrants to apply
for public benefits if they have been in
the country for at least five years.
But they said that the new Public
Charge Rule creates a “bait-and-switch”:
“If immigrants use the public assistance
to which they are legally entitled, they
would jeopardize their chances of later
renewing their visa or becoming permanent
residents.
“As a result, since the spread of
COVID-19 began in the United States,
immigrants may now be afraid to seek
out the health coverage they need to
remain healthy,” the coalition said.
Earlier this month, the coalition of
attorneys general sent a letter to the
US Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) and US Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS) seeking to suspend
the Public Charge Rule as coronavirus
infections began increasing in the
United States.
Though neither agency responded to
the initial letter, the attorneys general
said USCIS last week posted what they
described as “a confusing and contradictory
alert claiming to offer a resolution
for immigrants.
According to the attorneys general,
the alert said the government would
not consider any form of testing or
care related to COVID-19 in immigrants’
public charge assessment, “even if such
treatment is provided or paid for by one
or more public benefits, as defined in the
rule (e.g. federally funded Medicaid).”
In response, the coalition have now
sent another letter to DHS and USCIS
again calling for a halt of the rule, pointing
out that last week’s alert contains
“confusing and contradictory statements
about the impact that using Medicaid
would have on non-citizens.”
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CARING FOR A
FAMILY MEMBER
WITH MEMORY LOSS,
WHO’S CARING
FOR YOU?
Caring for a family member who has trouble with thinking
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caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or other thinking and
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Join a community dedicated to providing the support and
guidance you need, for as long as you need it.
For more information or to enroll, call us at 646-754-2277
or visit nyulangone.org/memorydisordersupport.
The Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias Family Support Program
is supported by a grant from the New York State Department of Health.
/memorydisordersupport