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The Migration Policy Institute

December 22, 2020

Dear John,

New data on the use of federal means-tested public-benefit programs by immigrant-led households offer the first evidence of what researchers and others have long predicted--that the public-charge rule proposed by the Trump administration in 2017 and finalized this year would deter large numbers of noncitizens from using benefits for which they are eligible.

In a new commentary, Migration Policy Institute (MPI) researchers offer their analysis of recent U.S. Census Bureau data on participation in programs such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, or food stamps), and Medicaid.

They found that between 2016 and 2019, participation in TANF, SNAP, and Medicaid declined twice as rapidly for noncitizens and their U.S.-born children as for U.S. citizens. Although enrollment rates in these programs decreased overall between 2016 and 2019, most likely due to improving economic conditions, the steeper drop among noncitizens and their children suggests that the rule and other administration policies chilled participation.

Confusion over the public-charge regulation, combined with fears of immigration enforcement and negative rhetoric on immigration, likely have contributed to program withdrawal or reluctance to enroll.

"Given the severe economic dislocation accompanying the COVID-19 pandemic, it is particularly essential that the federal government disseminates accurate information about who is and is not affected by the public-charge rule," write researchers Randy Capps, Michael Fix, and Jeanne Batalova. "These public health-related concerns only reinforce the need to develop a communications plan about the limited scope of the rule in order to allay fears and reduce chilling effects."

You can read this commentary here: www.migrationpolicy.org/news/anticipated-chilling-effects-public-charge-rule-are-real.

As the end of the year approaches, all of us at MPI are thankful for your interest in our work.

Happy holidays,


Michelle Mittelstadt
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
Migration Policy Institute

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The Migration Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C. dedicated to analysis of the movement of people worldwide. MPI provides analysis, development, and evaluation of migration and refugee policies at the local, national, and international levels. For more on MPI, please visit www.migrationpolicy.org

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