December 2018

Spotlight on: Public Charge

New changes to federal law may substantially increasing poverty and negatively impact immigrant New Yorkers

Contributors: Christopher Wimer, Matthew Maury, Veyom Bahl

Poverty Tracker data shows that expansions made by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to the “public charge” rule, which determines whether certain immigrants are eligible for green cards or admission into the U.S., would penalize immigrants who legally receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as food stamps), parts of Medicaid, housing assistance and other public benefits, negatively impacting low-income New Yorkers.