Congressman Panetta Calls on Constituents to Share Opinion on the Administration's Proposal to Restrict Public Aid for Immigrants

SALINAS, CA – On October 10, 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will post a proposed rule change in the Federal Register to deny permanent residency for legal immigrants who use public benefits, including food assistance, Medicaid, and Section 8 housing vouchers. DHS will be collecting public comments for 60 days, through December 10, 2018. Comments can be made through the Federal Register web portal, found by clicking here or at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/10/10/2018-21106/inadmissibility-on-public-charge-grounds.

Congressman Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) released the following statement to encourage residents living on the central coast of California to participate and share their comments:

"I hope that everyone in our community on the central coast of California will speak out and participate in this public comment period. It is crucial that the Administration hears about and understands the ramifications of the proposed new rule that would punish legal immigrants for accessing basic needs programs. It is important that we share our opinions with DHS about such a radical departure from current policy."

On September 22, DHS posted an advance copy of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) related to the public charge ground of inadmissibility, before formally publishing the NPRM in the Federal Register. The publication of the NPRM in the Federal Register will open a 60-day public comment period allowing members of the public to provide input on DHS' proposal.

After the comment period ends, DHS will carefully consider public comments and eventually publish a final rule in the Federal Register reflecting the date on which that final rule will go into effect.

Update: Congressman Panetta joined more than 100 House Democrats in posting a comment to the Federal Register., arguing that the proposed rule undermines the intent of Congress.