Posted in Blog, Children, Healthcare, Housing, Hunger, Immigration
Following a trend of spiteful anti-immigrant policies, over the weekend, the Administration published a new proposed rule that would alter decades of existing legal immigration precedent. This departure from American values will directly endanger the lives of immigrant families, including children who are United States citizens.
The proposed rule forces immigrant families into an impossible and inhumane choice: between meeting immediate, basic needs or risking family separation in the future. This reshaping of our nation’s legal immigration system would greatly increase poverty, hunger and unmet health care needs in communities across our state and nation.
While the circumstances surrounding the proposed rule are complex and often misleading, the underlying purpose is clear—to isolate and discriminate against hardworking, tax-paying immigrant families. If the proposed rule is allowed to take effect, the Administration would further shift the U.S. immigration system away from the longstanding precedent of family-based immigration without the involvement of Congress. This clearly constitutes a drastic attempt to circumvent the rule of law in the pursuit of blatantly racist ideology.
“At its core, this proposal is fundamentally flawed,” said Sue Berkowitz, Director of South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center. “It is wholly inaccurate to paint immigrant families as a burden on our state and nation. The contributions of immigrants to our society are far-reaching and well documented. We must see this rule for what it truly is—the Administration’s thinly veiled attempt to systemically discriminate against hard working immigrant families.”
South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center strongly opposes this proposed rule. This proposal is cruel and dangerous. We can and must do better. Families, regardless of citizenship status, and entire communities across our state will be negatively impacted if the rule is allowed to take effect. As such, we urge the Administration to immediately withdraw this dangerous proposal.
