Fear is driving immigrants to skip medical appointments. Fear is driving immigrants from taking their kids to school. Fear is driving immigrants from reporting when they’ve been the victims of crime, including rape. Fear is making America’s children go hungry, with “immigrants hoping for permanent residence … dropping out of public nutrition programs” out of panic due to possibly becoming vulnerable to deportation:
Statistics on participation in state and local efforts show fewer people are using an array of food programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (called WIC) as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) and food banks.
“The rumor mill is rampant, and the fear is palpable,” said Lisa David, president and chief executive of Public Health Solutions, a major WIC and SNAP provider for New York City. “The stakes for what could happen in the future are incredibly high, and people just aren’t willing to take that risk.”
The Trump administration is proposing changes “that would allow officials to factor in the use of benefits—like WIC, SNAP, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and even housing and transit subsidies—when deciding whether to approve some visa or green card applications.” These haven’t gone into effect, but already their parents are “fearful that participating could threaten their citizenship eligibility or put them at risk for deportation, according to program administrators”:
Adele LaTourette, the director of the New Jersey Anti-Hunger Coalition, said a church food pantry specifically organized as a safe space for immigrants has seen “unprecedented decline,” as have reduced-cost breakfast and lunch programs in schools. Ms. LaTourette, who also convenes the New Jersey SNAP Working Group and serves on the state’s WIC Advisory Council, said the same concerns have echoed through every round-table discussion she has led for nutrition services since the start of the administration.
National WIC Association members in California, New York and Colorado have aired similar complaints.
The same administration that paid $31,000 for dining room furniture for Ben Carson’s office claims these proposed changes are “clearly intended to protect the American taxpayer,” but immigrants also pay taxes, and their U.S. citizen kids are deserving of the same rights and benefits given to any other U.S. citizen. “When children reach their full potential, we all benefit,” tweeted pediatrician Julie Linton. “Good nutrition is the foundation for developing healthy brains. Limiting perceived access to this foundation is threatening the success of all of us.”