Turning Away From National Commitment, House Bill Takes Away Food Assistance and Health Coverage From People Granted Humanitarian Protections

In a stark departure from our country’s long history of supporting people fleeing violence and persecution, the House Republican reconciliation bill would take away food assistance and health coverage from people, including children, living lawfully in the U.S. under humanitarian protections afforded by our immigration laws. Even in 1996, when our nation enacted a law that severely restricted access to benefits for many immigrants living lawfully in the U.S., Congress ensured continued access to federal benefits for immigrants who have proven that they are fleeing persecution and those who are survivors of domestic abuse or sex or labor trafficking. In retaining access to benefits for these groups, both Republicans and Democrats in Congress understood that without this help, our offer of protection would be hollow.

In several ways, the House Republican reconciliation bill ends our nation’s long-standing bipartisan commitment to ensure that vulnerable people who have demonstrated a need for humanitarian protection have access to vital supports that help them find stability, establish their lives in the U.S., and meet their basic needs. The bill strips their eligibility for food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and it takes away health coverage by eliminating their eligibility for tax credits that lower the costs of health plans in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces and by terminating their access to Medicare, which they or their spouse had to pay into, generally for at least a decade, to qualify.

These cuts would result in increased poverty and hunger and poorer health outcomes for groups that have already demonstrated to government authorities that they need humanitarian protection in the United States or would face harm if returned to their home countries. These groups include:

• Refugees: People apply to be refugees outside of the U.S., either in their home country or in a third country. They must be of special humanitarian concern to the U.S., prove that they were persecuted, and undergo extensive vetting before they are given permission to come to the U.S., a process that can take years. The number of refugees is sharply capped each year (last year it was capped at 125,000), with the number of people who meet the requirements far outstripping the number who are given permission to come. While the current administration has almost entirely stopped refugee admissions, there are many refugees already in the U.S. who need assistance.
• People granted asylum: People apply for asylum within the U.S. To be granted asylum, applicants must prove, either before an immigration judge or before an asylum officer, that they have suffered past persecution or face a well-founded fear of future persecution and that they can’t go back to their home country.
• Certain victims of sex or labor trafficking: This group comprises people who the government has determined are survivors of sex or labor trafficking (akin to modern day slavery) in the U.S. This includes people forced to work or engage in commercial sex acts against their will, often through threats, violence, or manipulation. It is critical to protect such individuals so that they feel safe coming forward and can cooperate with law enforcement to bring perpetrators to justice.
• Certain victims of domestic violence: This includes people (as well as their parents and/or children) who have demonstrated to the government that they were physically or emotionally abused by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident spouse or parent, or by a member of the spouse or parent’s household. To qualify for benefits, they must further demonstrate that there is a connection between their abuse and the need for public benefits.

In addition to stripping food assistance and health coverage, the reconciliation bill also penalizes states if they provide comprehensive health coverage to people who are not U.S. citizens or do not meet the criteria for a narrow list of “qualified” immigration statuses. This penalty would be levied against those states that continue providing Medicaid to people granted humanitarian parole for at least one year (temporary permission to enter and remain in the U.S. lawfully based on an urgent humanitarian reason, such as Ukrainians fleeing war) — even though federal law affords eligibility to people with this status.

There is a strong community of people and organizations who help people granted humanitarian protections to integrate into their communities, but those organizations cannot replace the help that programs like SNAP, Medicare, and the ACA provide to help people afford the basics and move forward with their lives.

In a nation as wealthy as the United States, we can make sure that people fleeing persecution and violence and people who have been subjected to horrific treatment in the U.S., like trafficking or domestic violence, have the resources they need to build a new life and contribute to our nation.

People who are immigrants and their families are our neighbors, coworkers, and community members. As we’ve seen with refugees and asylees, their contributions pay significant dividends not just for our communities, but also for our nation as a whole. A recent federal study shows that the fiscal impact of refugees and asylees over a 15-year period was positive, with the net fiscal benefit to the federal government estimated at $31.5 billion, and the net fiscal benefit to state and local governments estimated at $92.3 billion. Other studies indicate that refugees contribute more in taxes than they receive in services and that they have contributed to essential sectors of the economy, including filling jobs in industries with labor shortages.

While the history and evolution of immigration law and policy in our nation has been complex, our laws have, on balance, committed us to serving people fleeing persecution and offering them safety — and the nation is richer for this longstanding commitment. Instead of turning our backs on people living in our nation under humanitarian protections, lawmakers should reject all provisions that end access to food assistance and health coverage to these groups.