Help us help our immigrant community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
OCA is partnering with Daily Kos Liberation League, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance AFL-CIO (APALA), Fund Her, National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, New American Leaders Action Fund, and Value our Families on a petition to support our immigrant communities.
To slow the rapidly spreading COVID-19, we need to be able to get tested and see doctors. For immigrants, though, that can involve trusting the federal agencies that have made it harder for them to stay in the country. Trump’s restrictive immigration policies could deter people from seeking health services as communities work to contain the spread. Many people who lack legal immigration status tend to largely avoid hospitals out of fear that their information might be released to ICE. Nearly 11 million undocumented immigrants are estimated to live in the U.S. It is imperative they feel safe to access medical service. On February 24, just one day before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans to prepare for the spread of COVID-19 inside the U.S.,the Department of Homeland Security began enforcing its new public charge rule. That measure could deny immigrants some visa renewals or green card applications if they've used certain federally funded programs such as Medicaid or food assistance over a certain period of time — or if the government considers they're likely to become dependent on a program in the future. To avoid being identified as a public charge, millions of non-citizens are expected to disenroll from Medicaid. Confusion and fear about the rule may also drive many parents to disenroll their children, even though the use of Medicaid by minors will not count against them. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) must issue public guidance during this pandemic to assure immigrants they would not be arrested for getting medical help. Everyone deserves access to medical care, especially during an outbreak! Sign the petition: Assure immigrants access to medical attention without fear of arrest!
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