QUEENS, NEW YORK - Assemblyman David Weprin issued the following statement in response to the Proposed Change to Public Charge Interpretation:

“The Trump Administration through the Department of Homeland Security has renewed its attack on immigrants and the poor by broadening the interpretation of the public charge by proposing to use certain public services such as food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid and public-housing programs as tools to exclude law abiding immigrants from obtaining visas. These programs are not handouts but helping hand-ups that allow countless individuals to thrive in our nation.

The proposed changes to the interpretation of Public Charge will undoubtedly harm our borough of Queens, where immigrants make up nearly half of the population, by discouraging people from accessing vital resources. Our country should be open to all and access should not be sold off to the highest bidders. As such, I encourage all New Yorkers to submit public comments opposing this despicable attack on our values and call on the Trump Administration to immediately rescind this inhumane rule change.”