Families come first. The Trump Administration has proposed a change to federal immigration rules that would hurt low income working families. The new “public charge” regulation makes immigration a pay-to-play game, putting the wealthy ahead of families who’ve waited years to be reunited, have worked hard, and played by the rules. If the federal government believes an individual could at sometime use programs such as SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, CHIP (children’s health insurance), Section 8 housing vouchers, or the low income subsidy for Medicare Part D, it could count against them when they apply to receive a green card.

How you live your life and contribute to your community should define you in this country, not how you look or how much money you have. And new immigrants often struggle as they are getting established in a new country. The Trump Administration’s rule is a wealth test, pure and simple. It forces families to choose between obtaining a permanent legal status and weathering tough times. Such a massive change in policy will make our nation sicker, hungrier, and poorer.

But we have an opportunity to speak out and really have our voices count! The Administration has 60 days to collect public comments on this rule before deciding how they choose to move forward.

You can submit your comment anonymously if you would like (just let us know by checking off that box). We promise we will not share any of your personal information with the Administration if you would not like us to. The only information we have to provide to the Department of Homeland Security is your first name and last initial -- the rest is optional.

You can make it as long or as short as you want. We just want you to make sure your thoughts are shared with the Administration and you make it personal in some way.

Personalize your comments. Discuss how your own immigrant family or those in your community would be impacted by this rule change. If you have personal experience with or are passionate about any of the following programs please feel free to mention them in your comments (people who access these programs are at risk of being denied green cards and we want to show support and the success that these programs provide families): SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), Medicaid, Low-income subsidies under Medicare Part D, and Section 8 housing vouchers.

Feel free to cut and paste these comments in the comment box. But we strongly encourage you to also personalize your comments with your own experiences and thoughts.

Investing in nutrition, healthcare, housing, and other essential programs keeps our children learning and parents working, and strengthens our families and our economy. The proposed “public charge” rule change by the Trump Administration would terrify immigrant families, discourage or prevent hard-working people from immigrating to our country, and deter immigrant families, most of which include U.S. citizen children, from seeking the help they need to lead a healthy and productive life.

This rule is an attack on working families and creates an immigration wealth test—something that is of a bygone era in America. We are better than this and our policies should reflect that. By forcing families to choose between obtaining a permanent legal status and weathering tough times, it would make the U.S. a sicker, hungrier, poorer nation.

I oppose this policy and ask that the Department immediately withdraw its current proposal, and dedicate its efforts to advancing policies that strengthen—rather than undermine—the ability of immigrants to support themselves and their families and contribute to their communities in the future. If we want our communities to thrive, everyone in those communities must be able to stay together and get the care, services, and support they need to remain healthy and productive.