Hunger or Deportation: Implications of the Trump Administration's Proposed Public Charge Rule

Sara N Bleich; Sheila Fleischhacker

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2019.01.019

Hunger or Deportation: Implications of the Trump Administration's Proposed Public Charge Rule

J Nutr Educ Behav. 2019 Apr;51(4):505-509. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2019.01.019. Epub 2019 Feb 26.

Authors

Sara N Bleich¹, Sheila Fleischhacker²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA. Electronic address: sbleich@jhu.edu.
² Georgetown University Law Center, Washington, DC.

PMID: 30819655
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2019.01.019

Abstract

Until recently, lawfully present noncitizens participating in the US Department of Agriculture Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (formerly Food Stamps) faced no immigration consequences. However, in September, 2018, the Trump Administration proposed a more expansive public charge rule in the Federal Register that would deny lawfully present noncitizens a path to citizenship if they had participated in certain federal safety net programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. This perspective discusses the proposed rule's implications, particularly for those with professional interests in promoting effective nutrition education and healthy behavior through research, policy, and practice among individuals who will potentially be affected.

Keywords: SNAP; hunger; immigration; public charge.

MeSH terms

Food Assistance / legislation & jurisprudence*
Food Supply / legislation & jurisprudence*
Health Services Accessibility
Health Status
Humans
Hunger*
Undocumented Immigrants / legislation & jurisprudence*
United States