Friend, the public charge rule sought to redefine who we are as a country and who belongs here by imposing dangerous and discriminatory criteria to make it much harder for people with low- or middle-incomes and people of color to apply for permanent residence in the U.S. The Trump administration intentionally stoked fear and confusion around this policy and weaponized it to instill fear in immigrant families from seeking benefits like SNAP (food stamps), certain types of Medicaid, and federal housing assistance. These are forms of help some people need to make ends meet during rough times in order to remain healthy and to thrive. This wealth test also worsened during the pandemic: more families went without federal food and housing assistance, even though the need for these services has been greater than it’s been in years. For the last four years, NILC and our partners in the Protecting Immigrant Families coalition have fought back against this cruel policy that threatened the health, nutrition, and housing status of millions of families. In fact, NILC has been leading the fight for immigrants’ access to public benefits since 1979. NILC challenged the public charge rule in federal court and drove more than 250,000 public comments from supporters like you opposing the rule. Even though several courts previously recognized the cruelty of this racially motivated wealth test, the rule was in effect until the Biden administration dropped the government’s court appeals days ago. However, we still have work to do. Several states are now seeking to defend and revive this harmful rule in court. We will continue to fight any efforts to attack and divide our communities, wherever the efforts originate. Ending the public charge wealth test is an important step for the federal government to build back trust in immigrant communities, particularly during the pandemic so that immigrants feel safe and free to get the vaccine, for example. We will continue our work alongside our plaintiffs and partners to ensure that everyone — regardless of who we are or where we’re from — has access to the health care and economic relief we need. | 
