House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Tuesday slammed the Trump administration’s new immigration rule that links an immigrant’s ability to secure residency or a path to citizenship to their use of public programs, predicting it will be defeated in court.
“This hateful, bigoted rule is a direct assault on our nation’s proud heritage as a beacon of hope and opportunity for all and a clear attempt to demonize and terrorize the newcomers who make America more American,” the California lawmaker tweeted.
The Trump administration on Monday released the final version of the “public charge” rule change, which will go into effect Oct. 15.
Under the new definition of “public charge,” receipt of assistance like food stamps, housing assistance and Medicaid will be a negative factor when determining if an immigrant can be granted a green card or visas.
Previously, only receipt of cash subsidies, alongside other indicators like age or health, was considered a negative factor.
The proposed rule change was first announced in September of last year and received over 200,000 public comments online, many of which were critical of the policy.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) in June introduced a bill that would withhold funding for enforcement of the new public charge definitions. The bill currently has 48 co-sponsors, but will likely gain more Democratic backers once Congress is back in session, given the final rule’s release.
Immigration advocates and Democrats have criticized the rule, saying it will discourage immigrants from seeking necessary assistance.
Multiple immigration groups have announced they will challenge the new rule in court. The Democratic attorneys general of California and New York have also vowed to fight the rule, although the exact legal action they will take is unclear.