By Alex Milvae, Equal Justice Works Fellow Attorney
The Biden Administration has ended the Trump Administration’s Public Charge Rule. This change means that everyone who is eligible should apply for public benefits. Because the Trump Administration’s Public Charge Rule made getting a green card harder for people who needed public benefits, many immigrants were afraid to apply.
For many people, public benefits are necessary to daily survival. Benefits have become even more important during the pandemic. In the past year, millions of people have lost jobs and struggled to pay rent and buy groceries. During this economic crisis, working-class and low-income people should apply for all available support, including unemployment insurance, food stamps, healthcare, and affordable housing.
The Public Charge Rule under the Trump Administration created confusion and fear. It hurt immigrant communities when government support was most critical. Ending the Trump Administration’s anti-immigrant Public Charge Rule means people can now access essential public benefits without fear.
But while everyone who is eligible should apply for public benefits, undocumented immigrants are often ineligible. Nearly 30% of undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts are Asian. That means around 50,000 undocumented Asian immigrants are systematically excluded from unemployment insurance, food stamps, and other benefits. In Massachusetts, undocumented immigrants cannot even get a driver’s license. However, advocates are trying to change this restriction. The Work and Family Mobility Act would allow all residents to apply for a driver’s license. This is a small but important step in increasing justice for our immigrant communities.
To support people ineligible for public benefits, mutual aid groups have also raised money. In the Asian American community, the Asian Community Emergency Relief Fund raised over $350,000 in 2020. The fund, which is sponsored by core organizations of APIs CAN!, is currently sending out money to people ineligible for benefits.
For more information about the fund or how to apply for public benefits, contact the Asian Outreach Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services.
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The Asian Outreach Unit at Greater Boston Legal Services provides free legal consultations and advice in Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. For help, please call our intake hotline at 617-603-1809. Leave a message with your name, phone number, and the type of legal problem you have and a legal advocate will return your call.
