MEDIA ADVISORY:
VACOLAO and allies speak out against the Department of Homeland Security’s proposed public charge rule change that would jeopardize the health and well-being of immigrant families and call on the public to oppose the rule change during the public comment period. The proposed rule change will be published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, October 10th.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (10/09/18) CONTACT: Edgar Aranda-Yanoc (703-772-1555) [email protected]
WHO:
Kristin Donovan, attorney, Legal Aid Justice Center’s Immigrant Advocacy Program
Monica Sarmiento, Executive Director of Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights (VACIR)
Rosalia Fajardo, Executive Director of Multicultural and Family Education Center
Edgar Aranda-Yanoc, Executive Director, Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO)
WHEN: Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at 11:30am
WHERE: 6066 Leesburg Pike, suite 520, Falls Church, VA 22041
WHY: The Virginia Coalition of Latino Organizations (VACOLAO) and allies condemn the Trump administration’s latest attack on legal immigrants with the Department of Homeland Security’s proposed changes to the public charge rule. The proposed change will be published officially tomorrow, Wednesday, October 10th.
If adopted, the proposal would expand the classification of benefits deemed a public charge during an immigration admittance proceeding to include non-cash benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and others.
This change would in practice force legal immigrants into a situation of choosing between feeding and providing healthcare for their families or preserving the ability to change to a more permanent status at some point in the future. These programs were designed to promote the health and welfare of children, the majority of whom are US citizens, and it is intolerable to jeopardize their lives in this way.
For example, even before the proposed rule was made public, news of the change has already had disastrous consequences for some legal immigrant families who are asking to be dropped from WIC, a federal nutrition program that provides parents of children including US citizens access to affordable formula, immunizations, and free health and nutrition classes. These programs were designed to help children and ensure their healthy development.
VACOLAO and allies are mobilizing Virginians to speak out against the public charge rule change through the public comment process.
### VACOLAO’s mission is to serve as a working alliance among organizations in Virginia that serve or support the interest of the Latino communities in order to empower the community and secure equal treatment, equal opportunity and equal representation for Latinos/Hispanics in Virginia.