Public Charge Implementation:
One Week In

Dear Allies,

Today marks a week since the DHS and DOS public charge regulations went into effect. See our recently updated FAQ and What Advocates Need to Know documents for more details. As these cruel policies start to impact immigrant families, we know that community outreach and education is more important than ever. We are deeply grateful to our partners that met last Monday’s news with a renewed resolve to keep fighting. Keep reading for more ways to connect this week. 

Share Your Work With Us!

Last week, hundreds of partners held events in communities across the country. We loved seeing the news about events in Boston, New Mexico, New York, Florida, California, and beyond. We now want to hear from you and learn about the events you held during the week of February 24! Please use this form to report your Teach-In activities. The information collected will be used to get a better sense of the reach of our collective work last week. We encourage you to fill out this form whether you facilitated a presentation, held an in-person event, or engaged in social media outreach. Every little bit counts! Thank you in advance for your participation.

Connecting with Reporters

If you haven’t already, now is a great time to connect with your local media outlets about implementation of the DHS and DOS public charge regulations. We encourage you to share what local and state government officials and nonprofits are doing to get accurate information into the hands of families. In last week’s teach-in toolkit, we shared a sample op-ed and a sample pitch note for local media which can be updated for use this week. If your organization is not planning a teach-in event, you can still use the op-ed or pitch a local reporter (sample here is not based on an event) on an implementation story.

We can also fight the chilling effect by correcting errors in news coverage. If you are seeing misinformation reported about public charge, please reach out and help the news outlet get the story right. If you need support in your outreach efforts, we’re here to help! Feel free to reach out to our PIF Consultant Ed Walz ([email protected]) for guidance. 

New Resources

Did you know that PIF has a Special Resources Page on our website? It features lots of additional public charge resources created by campaign members, allies, and state agencies. Recent additions include:

• Resources from FRAC on public charge and school meals and an FAQ for anti-hunger advocates.

• PIF guide on EITC and Public Charge that we encourage you to share with local tax preparers and VITA sites. 

• FAQ from CBPP that covers how enrollment in Medicaid may impact the public charge assessment for certain groups of people. 

• New fact sheet for workforce advocates from the the National Skills Coalition

Upcoming Webinars

Older Immigrants and Public Charge 
March 9 at 2pm ET, 11am PT. 

This webinar, hosted by Justice in Aging, will begin with an overview of the public charge test and how it applies to older adults, discuss the current state of litigation, and provide information on what advocates need to know about the rule’s implementation.

Public Charge 101
March 17 at 1pm ET, 10am PT

Do you or your colleagues need a refresher or a first time overview of how the public charge test works today in the U.S. and abroad? If so, please join us for our live Public Charge 101 webinar. Experts from NILC and CLASP will describe the new public charge regulations in the U.S. and abroad and explain what you need to know if you work with immigrant families. We will also cover how you can take action and get more involved with the work of the PIF Campaign.

Thank you for your continued partnership!

Madison Allen, Center for Law and Social Policy, &
Connie Choi, National Immigration Law Center

Visit us at https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org/