The U.S. Supreme Court gave the Trump administration permission this week to go ahead with a rule that would make it tougher for low-income immigrants to get green cards — a move that immigration and health care advocates in Minnesota expect will lead to a new era of confusion.
The controversial proposal would expand the government's authority to deny green cards for certain categories of legal immigrants who are a "public charge," or those receiving federal assistance for housing, nutrition and health care.
Alarm and confusion over the convoluted details of the law since it was proposed in 2018 have affected far more people than the immigrants to which it actually applies, immigrant advocates said.
"Every time that something new happens, it just heightens that fear," Portico Healthnet President Meghan Kimmel said.
She anticipates an increase in clients who will call with questions and requests to disenroll in health coverage and cancel appointments. When people don't have insurance, Kimmel added, they are less likely to use primary and preventive care and may go to the emergency room.
"Even for those who do have insurance, there is a greater hesitation to see the doctor because they are afraid and they just don't understand what the rules are and also what could change," Kimmel said. "And that unknown, I think, is what has been the scariest part for many of the clients that we work with."
The U.S. has long had a law making someone who is likely to become a public charge ineligible to become a legal permanent resident, but the new rule expands that definition. The law primarily affects those seeking permanent resident status through family member petitions, and many types of immigrants are exempt, including refugees and asylees.
"I am tired of seeing our taxpayer paying for people to come into the country and immediately go onto welfare and various other things," President Donald Trump said of the rule.
