When my mother came to this country from Brazil, she had little in the way of income and opportunity. She grew up on a bean farm in rural Brazil, just a generation removed from slavery. Her family in Brazil was and is still poorer than poor.

When she decided she wanted to move to the United States to find a better life, her father sold their only real possession – a beat-up Jeep – for $60 and a plane ticket. When she arrived in the United States, she didn't know how to speak English. To get by, she worked full-time with kids with disabilities, while learning English and going to school to become a psychologist. Like any immigrant, she had to work hard to make ends meet, get ahead, and live the American dream.

But the Trump administration is now cruelly destroying parts of what make the American dream possible. Late last year, Trump moved to implement new, xenophobic immigration rules that allow them to deny entry to lower-income immigrants who might be deemed a “public charge.”

Recently, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 along ideological lines to let the Trump administration go ahead with this awful policy. That means any immigrant who might need or has used government assistance like SNAP, Medicaid, or housing assistance – no matter when they receive benefits – can now be denied a green card. Under these new rules, low-income immigrants like my mom would be denied entry into the United States – no questions asked.

I’m asking you today: Will you stand with me and demand Congress reject this racist and xenophobic policy and protect immigrants and refugees?

Trump’s hateful policies are not only appalling – they don’t make economic sense. Immigrant participation in the workforce is higher than American-born participation; they support entire sectors of the economy and work jobs Americans won’t. Immigrants not only pay taxes and create thriving communities, they greatly contribute to our economy. Furthermore, their children have higher upward mobility, and even tend to reach higher education levels than children whose parents are born in the United States.

Our country is founded on the hard work of immigrants and refugees, and localities that have taken in more immigrants throughout history reap the rewards. In fact, a study of immigrants’ impact on the economy in the late 1800s and early 1900s found that a 5% increase in immigrants corresponded to a 20% increase in wages across the board.

Trump’s public charge policy robs future generations of success and opportunity – especially since 93% of immigrants receiving any form of government support between 1999 and 2015 were either employed or married to someone who was employed most of the time.

That’s why I’m asking you to not only do what’s morally right, I’m asking you to make sure Congress fights for the very people pushing our economy forward: Please, will you add your name now to demand Congress protect immigrants and refugees from the Trump administration’s racist and hateful public charge policies?

When I’m fighting to help working people, I can’t help but remember my mom. Because at the end of the day, I know immigrants like her are out there struggling to get ahead, providing for their families, and trying to find the American dream. Donald Trump should not be able to dictate who gets that opportunity.

Thanks for standing with me today. 

Stephen Paolini
Civic Action