Biden Administration Halts Public Charge Rule, State Leaders Release Statement

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), under the Biden-Harris Administration, recently announced it would stop applying the Public Charge Final Rule issued under the Trump Administration. Recall, the Trump Administration in 2019 finalized the rule which required individuals applying for or seeking adjustment to an immigration status of visa to establish that they were not likely at any time to rely on specified public benefits.

Following the announcement by the Biden-Harris Administration, California health and human services leaders, including CHHS Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly, CDSS Director Kim Johnson, CDPH Director and State Public Health Officer Dr. Tomás Aragón, and DHCS Director Will Lightbourne, released a joint statement reaffirming California’s commitment to providing services to immigrants. In the joint statement, the leaders reminded immigrant families of the availability of services in the state, including medical testing, treatment, and preventive services related to COVID-19.

The full joint statement on the public charge rule is available here. Additional information on the changes to the public charge rule is available here.