FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Melissa Stek, Communications Consultant, melissa@mountgem.com
Tom Salyers, Director of Communications, tsalyers@clasp.org
Washington, DC, December 19, 2025—Today, 190 organizations concerned with the well-being of children submitted a public comment to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) opposing a proposed rule that would provide the agency discretion to deny green cards based on factors such as an applicant’s health or use of any federal health or social services program.
The organizations write:
“[The proposed rule] would leave regulatory voids where there are now clear guidelines about what programs can and cannot be considered in a public charge assessment, and that the use of benefits by children and other family members not seeking adjustment will not be considered. This will create fear and uncertainty that will cause a “chilling effect” – the avoidance of applying for or receiving public benefits due to fear of jeopardizing their or their family member’s access to legal immigration status – even beyond what has been previously seen.
“Discouraging enrollment by children and their families in crucial health care, nutrition and other critical programs would increase poverty, hunger, poor health, and unstable housing. The proposal to rescind the 2022 public charge ground of inadmissibility regulations would have profound and damaging consequences for the well-being and long-term success of children, including U.S. citizen children, and their families. By harming children, the proposal also undermines our nation’s future workforce and collective economic security.”
Signatories of the letter led by the Children Thrive Action Network (CTAN) issued the following statements:
Wendy Cervantes, Director of Immigration and Immigrant Families at the Center for Law and Social Policy:
“The ultimate goal of this rule is to scare immigrant families from seeking help, forcing parents to forgo essential medical care or food assistance for their children in order to not compromise their ability to access a more stable immigration status. It will result in an increase in poverty, hunger, and homelessness, at great social and economic cost to states and localities, and ultimately at great cost to our country’s future. This rule is one of many actions that demonstrate this administration’s complete disregard for children and their misguided agenda to undermine the dignity and well-being of immigrants and their families in every possible way. The federal government should never stand in the way of families being able to provide for their children’s basic needs. We urge the administration to withdraw this proposal for the sake of our kids and the sake of our nation’s future.”
Linda Spears, President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of America:
“The adverse impacts of this proposed rule for immigrant children and caregivers cannot be overstated. If finalized, this rule will likely land more children in poverty and cause greater stress and fear for their caregivers. Research tells us that this combination is likely to result in increased rates of child maltreatment and child welfare involvement among immigrant families. We call on the administration to live up to its commitment to the wellbeing of children by rescinding this proposed rule and ending targeted efforts that put immigrant children and their caregivers in harm’s way.”
Wendy Young, President, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND):
“Unaccompanied children who have fled harm face incredible hurdles accessing protection in the United States. The proposed rule would make these barriers higher still. By intensifying fear in communities and driving uncertainty, the rule will hinder children and families, including those who are exempt from public charge considerations, from accessing critical services that help children heal from trauma, grow in safety, and fairly access humanitarian protection. As a result, children will become even more vulnerable and could face greater risk of trafficking, exploitation, and other harm. The well-being of children must never be left in doubt. We urge the administration to withdraw this proposed rule to clarify its commitment to children and families and to avert these harms.”
Rachel Velcoff Hults, Mental Health Director, National Center for Youth Law (NCYL):
“The proposed rule will have a devastating and long-term impact on children and families. When families have access to benefits and services to help meet their basic needs, children experience better physical and mental health outcomes and greater educational attainment, which can lift them out of a potential cycle of generational poverty. Children, and their families, do not live in isolation and the impacts of this proposed rule will reverberate throughout their communities. Targeting immigrant families in this way is cruel, inhumane, and undermines our well-being and values as a country.”
Carmen M. Feliciano, Vice President, Policy & Advocacy, UnidosUS:
“An estimated 4.5 million children live in mixed-status families in the United States—many of them Latino. When these families forgo care, children lose the stable, nurturing environments that support brain development, school readiness and long-term opportunity. At the same time, immigrants make up more than one in five childcare workers nationwide, so this chilling effect would deepen labor shortages and raise costs for all families. The administration must withdraw this proposal and protect access to health care and education so Latino children—and all children—can thrive.”
Melissa Boteach, Chief Policy Officer at ZERO TO THREE, a national nonprofit focused on ensuring all babies have a strong start in life, said:
“This proposal puts children, including millions of U.S. citizen children, at risk and weakens the foundation young children need to grow into healthy, productive adults. By removing clear guardrails in public charge decisions, DHS would create fear and confusion, and discourage families from getting health care, nutrition and other basics in the earliest years, when the stakes are highest. The science is clear: when infants and toddlers miss out on these supports, the harm can last a lifetime.”
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The Children Thrive Action Network (CTAN) is a national network of children’s advocacy organizations and service providers committed to protecting and defending children in immigrant families, guided by policy principles to ensure that immigration policies safeguard children’s health, safety, and well-being. Since 2020, CTAN has urged federal and state officials to advance the “best interest of the child” in all policies and to reject policies that put children in harm’s way and undermine their safety.
