Join Our LTB Week of Action and Sign Onto Our Comment

Dear Allies,

For 25 years, the 1996 “five-year bar” has made the safety net inaccessible to millions in immigrant families. Please join us for a week of action starting January 24th to urge Members of Congress to support the LIFT The BAR Act, which would lift barriers that deny critical care and aid to immigrant families. Keep reading for more information on the LIFT the BAR Act, resources to help you with your advocacy and engagement, and how to engage with us during the week of January 24th.

This week, we are also sharing a reminder to sign onto our comment letter to the Department of State before the deadline of tomorrow, January 14th.

LIFT the BAR Week of Action–January 24

Join PIF and our partners for a week of action starting January 24 to encourage members of the U.S. House of Representatives to be co-sponsors of the LIFT the BAR Act (H.R. 5227). Though the bill was introduced nearly a year ago, only 56 members have signed on as cosponsors. With your help, we can change that.

Here are the top 3 things you can do right now to advance the LIFT the BAR Act are:

Encourage your House member to co-sponsor LTBA. Have a meeting with staff or email them during the week of January 24th.
Send a LTBA endorsement letter or e-blast to your Congressional delegation encouraging them to co-sponsor LTBA during the week of January 24th.
Use social media to thank your House Member for co-sponsoring!

To help you, we have prepared a wide range of materials including:

A draft meeting request for you to email Congressional staff; step-by-step instructions for having a meeting; and key messages.
Tools for engaging partner organizations in your state and the media.
Resources about the 5-year bar and the importance of the LTBA from partner organizations.

For more background on the Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration Act (LIFT the BAR Act, HR 5227), check out PIF’s one-pager fact sheet here.

Reminder: Sign onto PIF’s Comment on the Department of State’s Public Charge Rule by TOMORROW

On November 17, 2021, the U.S. Department of State 2019 published a notice in the Federal Register that it is seeking comments on whether the DOS 2019 interim final rule (IFR) that adopted the DHS 2019 public charge rule should be rescinded or revised. In response, PIF developed a sign on comment that strongly recommends that DOS issue rulemaking as soon as possible to remove the text of DOS’s October 2019 rule from the Code of Federal Regulations (“C.F.R.”); and restore the longstanding regulatory text that appeared prior to DOS’s October 2019 rule.

We encourage your organization to sign on to PIF’s comment letter on the U.S. Department of State’s 2019 public charge interim final rule. Sign on by filling out this form by 12pm ET / 9am PT TOMORROW, January 14.

Updated Languages: Nutrition Flyers

Last week, we shared that thanks to Nourish California and CLASP, we're excited to share a new flyer to support and promote immigrants' safe access to nutrition programs. This resource is now available on the Know Your Rights page on the PIF website in updated languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Kreyol, Wolof, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Arabic. Organizations can download the files and add in local referral information directly into the document to best support their clients.

USCIS & USDA Letter on Public Charge

Yesterday, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) released a joint letter on public charge, clarifying that receipt of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits is not considered in public charge determinations. The letter, citing two research briefs from the Urban Institute, notes the ongoing chilling effect of the Trump public charge rule, and lays out a commitment to continue efforts to thaw the chill. The USDA also published a State SNAP commissioners letter yesterday, reinforcing the message that receipt of SNAP benefits is not considered in public charge determinations.

We thank the two agencies for recognizing the importance of the SNAP program, and for clearly stating that “immigrants will not be found inadmissible on the public charge ground under the totality of the circumstances determination because they or a family member applied for or received SNAP benefits”.

Here are 3 quick things partners can do to help spread the word, and please encourage your partners to do the same:

Post a thank-you on social media (here’s a sample), and a second post tagging your state SNAP agency
Share the link with nutrition and immigration reporters on your press lists
Reach out to state / local agencies and electeds ask them to include USDA’s suggested language in agency communications

In Solidarity,

Eddie Carmona, on behalf of the PIF Team

Visit us at https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org/

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