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T he overwhelming narrative surrounding immigration in the U.S. has long centered on Latinos, Hispanics and Central Americans. But in addition to those groups, immigrants from majority Black countries will also be left vulnerable to tougher immigration regulations that could be approved soon. A proposed rule from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), called “Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds,” was the Trump administration’s latest attempt to rig immigration policy in favor of English speakers whose earning power was near or on a par with that of American citizens. Monday was the end of a three-month period accepting “public comments” which DHS was expected to use to help reach its final decision on the rule. 'You could either feed your kids or stay in America but you can't do both.' — This new Trump rule targets immigrants legally in the U.S. The Trump admin's comment period on ‘public charge’ ends this Monday, Dec 10. You can submit a comment here: https://t.co/5TiJONYrfw pic.twitter.com/S91dmZVg83 — NowThis (@nowthisnews) December 8, 2018 According to the UndocuBlack Network , a nonprofit organization advocating for Black immigrants , the new rule would fall “in line with America’s racist history of preventing Black, Brown and Indigenous people from accessing resources and basic needs.” READ MORE: Diversity Visa Program Under Fire Helps Blacks Too Translated from legalese jargon, “public charge” is a “term used by U.S. immigration officials to refer to a person who is considered primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, as demonstrated by either receipt of public cash assistance for income maintenance or institutionalization for long-term care at government expense,” according to the National Immigration Law Center . “Where this consideration applies, an immigrant who is found to be ‘likely . . . to become a public charge’ may be denied admission to the U.S. or lawful permanent resident status.”) That means that Trump and his administration think immigrants entering the U.S. are intentionally looking to live off government benefits, such as “the receipt of public cash assistance for income maintenance or institutionalization for long-term care at government expense,” according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services agency. The Public Charge rule would restrict immigrant families from using essential public services including non-emergency Medicaid, SNAP, Medicare Part D, and housing assistance. Comment by 12/10 at  https://t.co/fVTNIj3lgZ pic.twitter.com/DCe0Ra35gp — CCDPH (@CookCoHealth) December 4, 2018 The problem with that logic was that “[u]ndocumented immigrants, including DACA holders, are ineligible to receive most federal public benefits, including means-tested benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, sometimes referred to as food stamps), regular Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families,” according to the National Immigration Forum . As of Monday, “refugees, asylees, and amnestied illegal aliens are exempt from the public charge requirement,” according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform . However, “[u]ndocumented immigrants may be eligible for a handful of benefits that are deemed necessary to protect life or guarantee safety in dire situations, such as emergency Medicaid, access to treatment in hospital emergency rooms, or access to healthcare and nutrition programs under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).” And that’s what has Trump’s white nationalist administration so worried. “The regulation also favors immigrants who speak the English language and who have  earnings at or above 250 percent of the federal poverty level, which is a whopping  $63,000 for a family of four,” UndocuBlack Network wrote on its website. That was a near impossible standard to meet for immigrants, let alone many American citizens, according to a list of states’ median income for four-person families that was compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau. Commission majority submitted formal comment urging @DHSgov to reconsider its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding inadmissibility to U.S. on public charge grounds. Proposed rule communicates government animus against multiple marginalized communities https://t.co/SsyulJvdSQ pic.twitter.com/IUNbUWkpVo — USCCR (@USCCRgov) December 10, 2018 One positive sign for Black immigrants if the new rule goes into effect was that “compared with other immigrant groups, blacks are more likely to be U.S. citizens or to be proficient English speakers,” Pew Research Center found earlier this year. “Much of the recent growth in the foreign-born black population has been fueled by African migration,” Pew wrote, and “black immigrants from Africa are more likely than Americans overall to have a college degree or higher.” READ MORE:  Obama’s Legacy Of Hope For The Caribbean But the Caribbean remained the most likely point of origin for Black immigrants in the U.S., including Haiti, where more than 650,000 people living in the U.S. were from. Black immigrants are 10% of immigrant population and 10% of the black population in the USA, yet often overlooked as stakeholder. We make up 20% of deportee population. – @opalayo This inspired @BAJItweet . pic.twitter.com/A6ZOmSkatj — Global Coalition on Migration (@GCMigration) December 9, 2018 Even though “[w]elfare use is high for both new arrivals and well-established immigrants,” according to a 2015 report from the Center for Immigration Studies,” undocumented immigrants have not been stealing benefits. They do, however, help pay for the public benefits American citizens receive, though, the Huffington Post reported last year. “In reality, immigrants typically pay far more in taxes than they receive in benefits. And that includes undocumented immigrants,” HuffPost wrote. “Not only do they simply not qualify for many benefits, but undocumented immigrants also tend to keep a low profile and may not seek benefits they possibly could legitimately receive as a result. However, every year millions of undocumented immigrants not only do pay taxes, they even file their tax returns.” A4: Public charge creates an anxious and unhealthy environment for young children. #NoToPublicCharge #ProtectFamilies pic.twitter.com/biVrYvBJ33 — APIAHF Says #NoToPublicCharge (@APIAHF) December 3, 2018 All of which makes it look like the Trump administration is trying to cut off its own nose just to spite its face and prove some null talking point to bolster the president’s white nationalist rhetoric while burying the actual truth. Or, as the UndocuBlack Network put it , “[a]nyone interested in challenging the war on poor people must fight for programs that support Black immigrants’ ability to access a better standard of living.” SEE ALSO: US Immigration Border Policy Is Literally Killing People What Tighter Border Enforcement Means For Black Immigrants [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3838134″ overlay=”true”]

Effect On Black People Is Overlooked In Trump’s Latest Effort To Punish Immigrants