Members of Congress are currently working to pass legislation which will have immediate and lasting impacts on all families, with particular harm caused to mixed-status families. This legislation seeks to drastically cut funding for Medicaid and SNAP and bar eligibility to health coverage, food assistance, and tax credits to instead funnel that money to give $1.1 trillion in tax breaks for the wealthy, with still more costs to fund immigration enforcement actions that separate families and traumatize children.
One in four children have an immigrant parent, and the vast majority of those children are U.S. citizens. Policies restricting access to programs for immigrants and other attacks on immigrants harm all children living in mixed-status families. When children and families suffer, so do our communities and our economy. This proposed legislation is dangerous and will harm all families, regardless of citizenship or status.
These policies are likely to increase child poverty; cause children and families to become uninsured; increase food insecurity for children and families; establish exorbitant fees for asylum seekers, sponsors of unaccompanied children, and children who are applying for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status; and fund family detention and separation.
These briefs were made possible thanks to the feedback and support from the American Academy of Pediatrics, Asian Americans Advancing Justice, Children’s HealthWatch, Coalition on Human Needs, Church World Service, Economic Security Project Action, First Focus on Children, Food Research and Action Center, Justice in Aging, Kids in Need of Defense, MomsRising, National Education Association, National Immigration Law Center, National Women’s Law Center, Protecting Immigrant Families Coalition, The Children’s Partnership, United Parent Leaders Action Network, Women’s Refugee Commission, and the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.
See our briefs from the Children Thrive Action Network and our partners linked below on the impact of the bill for different issue areas.
