R. Shawn Martin
In three separate decisions, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington temporarily barred the administration’s changes to the public charge rule from moving forward. The judges said lawsuits challenging the rule are likely to prevail in court.
The injunctions are much needed to protect patients and families, said R. Shawn Martin, senior vice president of advocacy, practice advancement, and policy for the American Academy of Family Physicians.
“The court decisions are important,” Mr. Martin said in an interview. “The AAFP believes that the public charge rule, as proposed by the administration, would have an immediate and negative impact on the health of thousands of people, including children. There is evidence that policies such as this create a culture where patients forgo interactions with the health care system out of fear. We should never be a country that compromises the health and well-being of individuals, especially those that are most vulnerable.”
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham called the court rulings extremely disappointing and said the recent changes to the public charge rule restore integrity to the immigration system.
“The rulings today prevent our nation’s immigration officers from ensuring that immigrants seeking entry to the United States will be self-sufficient and instead allow noncitizens to continue taking advantage of our generous but limited public resources reserved for vulnerable Americans,” Ms. Graham said in a statement. “These injunctions are the latest inexplicable example of the administration being ordered to comply with the flawed or lawless guidance of a previous administration instead of the actual laws passed by Congress.”
Under the longstanding public charge rule, officials can refuse to admit immigrants into the United States – or to adjust their legal status – if they are deemed likely to become a public charge. Previously, immigration officers considered cash aid, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or long-term institutionalized care, as potential public charge reasons for denial.
The revised regulation, which was scheduled to take effect on Oct. 15, 2019, would allow officials to consider previously excluded programs in their determination, including nonemergency Medicaid for nonpregnant adults, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and several housing programs. The revised regulation would continue to allow immigrants to access emergency medical care and disaster relief without public charge repercussions.
Eight legal challenges were immediately filed against the rule changes, including a complaint issued in Washington state by 14 states. On Oct. 11, Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson, U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Washington, issued a nationwide ban of the revised public charge regulation, ruling that the plaintiff states will suffer irreparable harm if the rule moves forward.
“The plaintiff states have shown a significant threat of irreparable injury as a result of the impending enactment of the public charge rule by numerous individuals disenrolling from benefits for which they or their relatives were qualified, out of fear or confusion, that accepting those noncash public benefits will deprive them of an opportunity for legal permanent residency,” Judge Peterson wrote in her decision. “The plaintiff states have further demonstrated how that chilling effect predictably would cause irreparable injury by creating long-term costs to the plaintiff states from providing ongoing triage for residents who have missed opportunities for timely diagnoses, vaccinations, or building a strong foundation in childhood that will allow U.S. citizen children and future U.S. citizens to flourish and contribute to their communities as taxpaying adults.”
Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton, U.S. district judge for the Northern District of California, ruled similarly on Oct. 11, as did George Benjamin Daniels of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Physician associations previously voiced opposition to the administration’s changes to the public charge rule. In a joint statement, the AAFP, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Osteopathic Association, the American College of Physicians, and the American Psychiatric Association expressed concern that the new regulation will discourage immigrants from seeking needed health care since such assistance may be used to deny green cards and visas, or even lead to deportations.
“Rather than face that threat, impacted patients currently served by our members almost certainly will avoid needed care from their trusted physicians, jeopardizing their own health and that of their communities,” the medical societies stated. “Many of our members have already witnessed this chilling effect among their own patient populations, with patients avoiding health services and programs out of fear.”