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I've written about the new Trump policy to use the public charge policy to exclude immigrants. It is designed in a way that will target non-white immigrants the hardest. via @ArcDigi arcdigital.media/trump-is-remak…
@ArcDigi The rule change would shift the interpretation of public charge from being "is this person going to be dependent on state services?" to "has this person ever used benefits?" For example, if you use food stamps, which about half of Americans do at some point, you are penalized. 2/
@ArcDigi Such a policy puts immigrant parents in an impossible position of choosing between helping their families immediate needs, and helping them pursue the American dream. It is also a terrible policy for the rest of us, since SNAP/Medicaid investments in human capital pay off. 3/ 
@ArcDigi The effects of this rule would fall primarily on non-white immigrants. For a preview of the effects, look at those entering the US, where Trump has already expanded the use of the public charge principle. arcdigital.media/trump-is-remak… 4/
@ArcDigi An early analysis of the Trump public charge rule showed it would affect Mexican and Central American immigrants far more than it would affect European and Canadian immigrants 5/ (link: arcdigital.media/trump-is-remak…) arcdigital.media/trump-is-remak…
@ArcDigi I get that an 837 page rule that redefines administrative terminology seems pretty opaque. But thats sort of the point. Its policymaking by other means, mirroring Trump's failed legislative efforts (a "merit-based" immigration overhaul pushed by Stephen Miller). 6/
@ArcDigi Another predictable outcome of Trump's public charge rule is that confusion about eligibility will reduce welfare use even among citizens. This is what happened for children whose parents were immigrants during welfare reform. amazon.com/dp/087154444X/…. 7/
@ArcDigi Trump sells his followers on illegal immigration, and the dangers of MS-13. But the public charge rule should be properly see for what it is: part of a broader strategy to limit legal immigration, one that specifically targets non-white immigrants. 8/ arcdigital.media/trump-is-remak…
@ArcDigi No surprise that the primary WH cheerleader of the public charge rule has been Stephen Miller, who badgered the USCIS to get it done as quickly as possible.
"I don't care what you need to do to finish it on time. You run an agency of 20,000 people." 9/ politico.com/story/2019/08/…
"I don't care what you need to do to finish it on time. You run an agency of 20,000 people." 9/ politico.com/story/2019/08/…
@ArcDigi I previously wrote how Stephen Miller is our generation's Breckinridge Long: a nativist using bureaucratic processes to exclude groups he dislikes. Miller's success is a measure of how little we have learned from history. 10/ arcdigital.media/trump-is-remak…
