Congress members should oppose immigration policies harming Georgia families

This provision affects lawfully present immigrants applying for permanent residency, commonly known as a green card.

The proposed change would give broad and unchecked discretion to U.S. Department of Homeland Security employees, allowing for arbitrary denials during the green card review process. The consequences would be severe, threatening the health and stability of millions of immigrant families nationwide, including thousands of families here in Georgia.

Near half a million Georgia children could be harmed

Under current rules, “public charge” considerations are limited. For example, adults who have received cash assistance or long-term nursing home care through Medicaid may have that information considered during the green card process.

The new proposal would eliminate those guardrails. Instead, it would allow immigration officials to treat virtually any health or social service program designed precisely to support families as a negative factor in an individual application, even though they can lawfully qualify or are eligible.

For families, the stakes could not be higher. A denial of a green card for a parent can lead to family separation, an outcome most parents will do everything possible to avoid. As a result, millions of lawfully present immigrants, as well as U.S. citizens in immigrant families, would likely forgo essential health care and basic assistance out of fear.

The greatest harm would fall on U.S. citizen children who have immigrant parents. In Georgia alone, 471,851 American children have at least one foreign-born parent, according to Census data. These children are citizens, yet they would bear the consequences of policies that push their families deeper into poverty and instability.

Research has repeatedly shown the “chilling effect” of expanding public charge rules, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the leading health policy organization in the U.S.

Confusing and fear-based policies discourage eligible families from using programs they qualify for and need.

These include health insurance programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, nutrition assistance such as WIC and SNAP, and early childhood supports like Head Start and school meal programs. These services are proven to promote healthy development, reduce the long-term effects of poverty, and help families achieve economic stability and upward mobility.

When families avoid these programs, the consequences ripple outward. Children’s health and education suffer. Parents are less able to work consistently or productively. Preventable health issues worsen, placing greater strain on an already fragile health care system.

Don’t remove regulations without a reasonable replacement

We at LCF Georgia have provided comments and signed letters led by the Protecting Immigrant Families Campaign and the Center for Law and Social Policy.

It is time for our legislators to do the same and urge the Department of Homeland Security to withdraw this proposed rule.

Removing clear, well-defined public charge regulations without replacing them with reasonable standards will not make our communities stronger.

It will make Georgia, and the nation, sicker, hungrier and poorer. It will reduce workforce participation, lower educational outcomes and ultimately harm all of us.

Silence and inaction are not neutral. They are choices with real and lasting consequences. Now is the time for all our elected officials, regardless of party, to show courage, act and protect the future of Georgia.

Gigi Pedraza is the executive director of the Latino Community Fund, a nonprofit with a mission to invest in and strengthen Latino communities so that, together, we can accelerate positive change for all in Georgia.