On November 20, 2020, the U.S. District Court of Northern Illinois vacated inadmissibility for immigration cases on public charge grounds, which was stayed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. On March 9, 2021, the Seventh Circuit Court lifted its stay and the Department of Justice stated that it would no longer defend the public charge restriction. The Department of Homeland Security has also been pushed to reassess public charge in an executive order from President Biden in February. As of Tuesday, DHS will no longer consider public charge as grounds for inadmissibility.

“Removing unjust barriers to immigration is a huge victory for all,” states Linda Ng, National President of OCA. “With heavily regulated immigration, punishing families and individuals in need by disallowing them from using public aid and infrastructure created to alleviate economic barriers is inhumane. Language that diminishes immigrants as ‘burdens’ is classist and deters those in need from accessing benefits. We look forward to the ways President Biden and his team will ensure fair immigration practices, and advocate strongly for equity and humanity in our immigration system.”

If you, your family members, someone you know, or community members have experienced xenophobia, discrimination, or harassment, please report the incident using our hate crime reporting tool at aapihatecrimes.org.

OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates is a national civil rights organization dedicated to improving the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs).

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