I hate to elevate @USCIS's inadequate & counter-productive #Covid_19 alert by analyzing it, but I'm sure people will struggle to understand it, so here goes...
But what they aren't saying is that *almost nobody* has any reason to fear using **any** public health services, because the #PublicCharge rule doesn't actually punish this & never did.
Even in an urgent #Covid_19 public health alert, @HomelandKen & co. just couldn't resist propagating the lie that the #PublicCharge rule "is critical to defending & protecting Americans' health & its health care resources."
Don't take my word for it... 3/
Here is a direct quote from USCIS's own analysis of the #PublicCharge rule, anticipating it could lead to worse health outcomes for Americans, including "increased prevalence of communicable diseases."
They could've said: Don't worry, it's always been true that no US citizen is subject to the #PublicCharge rule, even if their #immigrant family members share in their public benefits. 5/
They could've said: If you're eligible for public benefits in the first place that itself means you probably have no problem under #PublicCharge; here's a handy chart from @MigrationPolicy showing just how few people have anything to worry about.
Instead, @USCIS continues to spew bureaucratese suggesting that the #PublicCharge rule applies to most people accessing public benefits, even though it doesn't & never did.
7/
And here's the thrilling conclusion of the USCIS #COVIDー19 response, which is the coldest imaginable comfort.
"If the pandemic makes you lose your job or whatever, just add a note to your green card application & maybe just maybe we don't deny you." 8/ uscis.gov/greencard/publ…
Because the #PublicCharge rule doesn't actually punish most people for using public benefits—it punishes them for their age, health, income, education, language, debt, etc.
The Trump administration knows the #PublicCharge rule will inevitably lead to Americans & #immigrants imperiling themselves & others by foregoing public health services.
USCIS said so in its own economic analysis of its own rule!
🚨The Biden administration just released its Interagency Strategy on Naturalization, a whole-of-government effort to remove obstacles facing immigrants eligible for US citizenship.
The agency responsible for naturalization, @USCIS, is methodically removing barriers to US citizenship for eligible immigrants, including oath ceremonies by video for overseas US military families. An important step in the right direction...
Coming out of the Covid crisis & Trump-era policies, @USCIS has now "return[ed] to pre-pandemic levels when it comes to completing naturalization applications."
That's good news, but there's now a nearly million-application backlog looming.
President Biden's immigration bill includes not only a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, smart border policies, & humane treatment of refugees—it also promises major & long-overdue improvements to our skills-based immigration system...
Let's start with the broken status quo: Lots of talented people want to be in the US—not as temporary workers, but as permanent residents with green cards, & ultimately US citizens.
But there aren't enough employment-based green cards.
The official cap is 140,000/year, but…
2/
…people have families, turns out, so ~70k green cards go to employer-sponsored workers, & ~70k go to their spouses & children.
This compels many future Americans to use a somewhat-less-scarce *temporary* work visa, like the H-1B, while waiting for a green card.
3/
The argument is rooted in demographics: America's "Old Age Dependency Ratio" (# working-age vs. retirement-age adults) is plummeting, which is very bad news for future economic growth, Social Security solvency, etc.
To stay at par (3.5 ratio) by 2060, we need more immigrants. 2/
Specifically, 37% more immigrants—a total of ~1.37M/year.
Consider that Canada & Australia already welcome *200-300%* more immigrants than America does, adjusted for population.
America's immigration policy is among the stingiest in the @OECD.
For expert commentary on the impact of this order, see @IRAP@RCUSA_DC@RESCUEorg@HIASrefugees@LIRSorg & many more groups that have done the hard work of protecting refugees during the dark recent times.
I just want to point out some elements for the tech community...
2/
Important call for more efficient collection & sharing of biometric data, along with interviews via teleconferencing—these are tech-driven opportunities to streamline the whole system & put the President's goal of 125,000 annual refugee admissions within reach.
How does DHS justify delaying the effective date without notice & comment?
"USCIS will not have adequate time to complete system development, thoroughly test the modifications, train staff,
& conduct public outreach needed to ensure an effective & orderly implementation."
2/
Also:
"During the delay, while USCIS works through the issues associated with implementation, DHS leadership will also evaluate [Trump's] January 8th rule & its associated policies, as is typical of agencies at the beginning of a new Administration."