The Urban Institute has posted its new (2022 survey data) report on immigrant families’ avoidance of safety net programs due to public charge. In spite of having a new Biden public charge rule, the report finds that the chilling effect from the Trump era is still very much a feature of the benefits enrollment landscape among immigrant communities.
Key findings include: - 25% of adults in mixed-status families did not participate in safety net programs in 2022 because of green card concerns
-
The chilling effect even reaches households where all family members are naturalized or US-born citizens, with 7% of adults in all-citizen families reporting they avoided safety net programs
The Urban report identified several policy and practice recommendations that, if robustly rolled out, could mitigate this chilling effect and encourage immigrant families to enroll in the benefits programs for which they are eligible. Those recommendations include: -
Federal agencies should partner with trusted community-based organizations to leverage their linguistic and cultural competence. These organizations can help to bridge the gap and connect families to safety net programs.
-
Federal agencies’ should offer financial support to trusted community-based organizations for their engagement work. This funding, in addition to frequent communication about the importance of seeking needed services, could help mitigate lingering chilling effects on program participation among eligible immigrant families.
Read the Report |
