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Yesterday, March 9th, the U.S. Department of Justice dropped its legal defense of Trump’s public charge rule. Shortly after, the U.S. Supreme Court and 7th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the government’s appeals  — allowing a federal court order blocking the 2019 policy to take effect. 

This is a huge win for immigrant families. It means Trump’s public charge rule is permanently blocked nationwide, finally ending a policy that has caused millions of immigrants to forego vital health and economic support services. Now, the Department of Homeland Security and USCIS will follow the 1999 field guidance. Under this policy, immigrants and their families can safely access CalFresh, Medi-Cal, and other programs for which they are eligible without harming their immigration status.  

Yesterday’s announcement came soon after the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) coalition sent a letter signed by 500 affiliate organizations, including Nourish California, urging President Biden to act with urgency. Nourish California applauds the Biden administration for indeed acting quickly to reverse this racist and cruel policy. Now, the administration must focus on addressing the fear and mistrust caused by the policy with clear, consistent communications across all agencies, and initiate a new rulemaking process to improve upon the pre-Trump public charge policy. 

We also express deep gratitude for the advocate and immigrant community who fought relentlessly against this policy over the last four years. Since joining the PIF coalition in 2018, Nourish California has had the privilege of working alongside fierce advocates in California and across the nation who were a constant source of knowledge and inspiration. Our collective work has paid off. 

As we celebrate this amazing victory, we acknowledge that the work must continue. Nourish California commits to continued advocacy in solidarity with state and national advocates to heal the harm of public charge and enact policies that affirm and uplift immigrant communities. 

Questions? Contact Gabby Tilley at gabby@nourishca.net