For Immediate Release: Friday, January 31, 2020
WHAT: Press conference
WHO:
WHEN: Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Capital Crescent Trail Room, 4th Floor, Stella B. Werner Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville
TOPIC: Councilmembers Albornoz and Navarro will introduce a resolution at the Montgomery County Council meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 4 to denounce the Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) public charge decision and urging Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform.
This resolution is in response to SCOTUS’ Jan. 27 decision regarding the Trump administration’s change to the current public charge regulation, which would create major barriers for low-income immigrants seeking to enter or remain legally in the U.S. Under this regulation, an individual’s income threshold (earning less than 125 percent of the federal poverty level), age, certain health conditions, limited English proficiency, minimal education background and prior receipt of certain benefits may be taken into account and negatively impact the individual’s eligibility to gain permanent legal status, and in the future, attain lawful U.S. admission.
This decision constitutes a direct attack on the legal immigration system and will cause a financial and emotional hardship, not only to their well-being, but to the quality of life of our community.
“The recent 5-4 Supreme Court decision on public charge will cause a severe hardship to working immigrant families in our community,” said Councilmember Albornoz. “This ruling underscores President Trump’s efforts to attack our legal immigration system and continue to instill fear among our most vulnerable. Our diversity is our strength. It is time to take a stand against discriminatory actions aimed towards our immigrant communities who move our County forward, not backwards.”
“The ruling from the Supreme Court on the matter of the Trump administration’s ‘public charge’ rule is the anthesis of the identity of America in the 21st Century, and I join my counterparts from around the country in objection to such a short-sighted, ill-conceived ruling,” said Councilmember Navarro. “The consequences of being considered ‘likely to become a public charge’ are vast, not just for those following the legal process to adjust their immigration status, but ultimately these will have a chilling effect on those individuals who will now choose between forgoing critical public services that their families or themselves might be eligible for, due to fear that it could jeopardize their immigration status.”
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Release ID: 20-033