Amid fears of a new immigration policy from the Trump administration, immigrants hoping to become permanent U.S. residents are dropping out of public food assistance programs, reports the New York Times. Enrollment is down in many states in both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program.
Fear of participating in the programs heightened after Reuters reported on a draft of a new regulation penned by the Department of Homeland Security. The regulation would allow officials to factor an individual’s participation in public nutrition assistance programs when considering visa and green card applications. It says that applicants who relied on long-term public assistance could be deemed “inadmissible” for residency.
About 45 percent of immigrant-headed households with children are enrolled in a nutrition assistance program. The new regulation, while not yet in effect, could be sent to the Office of Management and Budget later this month for processing.