Federal Rule Changes Affecting Immigrant Families
The fear of losing a parent can negatively impact a child’s ability to grow, learn, and thrive. We support our immigrant families and oppose policies that separate families, instill fear and traumatize children, or that discourage families from accessing resources.
The First 5 Alameda County Commission passed a resolution supporting immigrant families in 2017 and a resolution opposing the separation of immigrant families in 2018.
The following federal actions may affect immigrant and mixed-status families in Alameda County.
Public Charge
Update (1/28/20): The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily set aside the preliminary injunctions that prevented the public charge rule from taking effect nationwide. This means that the rule will go into effect starting February 24, 2020, except in Illinois where it is blocked by a statewide injunction. Learn more at the Protecting Immigrant Families website.
The Trump administration has finalized a rule change to public charge that would make it more difficult for some immigrants to get a green card or visa if they use public benefits or programs, e.g., Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/CalFresh), and housing assistance.The final rule can be found here.
General Resources for Families and Organizations Supporting Families
- AlamedaKids.org: Immigration and legal services resources
- Help Me Grow Alameda County: Legal Resources to Support Families with Immigration Policy Changes (What to expect at local agencies, languages, process)
- Alameda County Social Services Agency: Immigration Resource page
Public Charge Resources
- Alameda County Office of Education: Public Charge
- Screening Web tool
- Screening Text tool: 650-3768006 Text “benefits” (for English) , “libre” (for Spanish), “ç¦åˆ©” (Chinese) or “lợiích” (Vietnamese)
- One CA Public Charge provider list
Immigrant Rights Information
- Alameda County Rapid Response Hotline: (510) 241-4011
- Alameda County Immigration Legal & Education Partnership
- The Immigrant Legal Resource Center: Red Cards
Advocacy and Policy Resources
- Protecting Immigrant Families: Website
- Center for Law and Social Policy: A Guide to Creating “Safe Space” Policies for Early Childhood Programs
Training @ First 5
- Browse resources from our training, “Impact of Current Immigration Policies on Fathers and Families” (April 2019)
- Browse resources from our training, “Immigration Policy and Latinx Immigrant Families: A Look at Policy Shifts, Parent-Child Interactions, and Health Outcomes” (September 2019)