Stop the New "Public Charge" Rule that Attacks Immigrant Families
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
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The new rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security uses an overly broad definition of who is a "public charge" — a person likely to become dependent on government assistance — to determine who's eligible for citizenship.
We are at our best when everyone can access health care and basic nutrition. But this rule will punish families in Maine with an immigrant in their household for using the very services that they pay taxes for.
Read, sign and share our petition to show DHS that this is an unpopular proposal.
The rule would rescind the current 2022 public charge regulations, essentially replacing them with vague language meant to discourage people from seeking public assistance out of fear for being separated from loved ones by detention or deportation.
It's intended to cause confusion and chaos by ending clear criteria and replacing it with no uniform guidance or regulations.
This will result in arbitrary, inconsistent, and politically influenced decision-making to rewrite the terms of citizenship and deny taxpayers access to taxpayer-funded benefits.
When the government penalizes people for using the very programs their tax dollars fund, it sets a precedent that threatens all taxpayers, immigrant and non-immigrant alike.
BACKGROUND
A similar public charge rule from 2020 caused widespread confusion and deterred millions of people, including U.S. citizens, from accessing essential services for which they were legally eligible before being struck down.
This caused a “chilling effect” that harmed families, strained local service providers, and undermined public health. Policies that drive families away from health care and basic services hurt Maine’s economy and the well-being of our communities as a whole.
Maine’s immigrant communities already navigate complex systems to meet basic needs. Policies that inject uncertainty and fear into the process only deepen existing barriers to stability, health care, and economic opportunity.
This rule tells working taxpayers: we will take your tax dollars, but we may punish you if you ever need the basic services those dollars fund. It invites a future where any American could be punished for needing the programs they help sustain, and that should alarm every taxpayer in this country.
Learn more about the proposed rule here.
* This petition is being submitted alongside MIRC's technical comments on the matter. Here is how to submit your own comment directly as well.
Petition by
Sponsored by
To:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
From:
[Your Name]
The new rule proposed by U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS Docket No. USCIS-2025-0304) uses an overly broad definition of who is a "public charge" to determine who's eligible for citizenship.
We are at our best when everyone can access health care and basic nutrition. But this rule will punish families in Maine with an immigrant in their household for using the very services that they pay taxes for by.
The rule would rescind the current 2022 public charge regulations, essentially replacing them with vague language that will cause confusion.
By stripping away the clear definitions and guardrails that have protected families, health providers, and community organizations, this proposal allows DHS to consider any health care, nutrition, or social service program without specifying which. It also opens the door to weighing highly personal characteristics, medical conditions, or family circumstances, including the past or current benefit use of children who are U.S. citizens.
This will result in arbitrary, inconsistent decision-making to rewrite the terms of citizenship and deny taxpayers access to taxpayer-funded benefits.
When the government penalizes people for using the very programs their tax dollars fund, it sets a precedent that threatens all taxpayers, immigrant and non-immigrant alike.
A similar public charge rule from 2020 deterred millions of people, including U.S. citizens, from accessing essential services for which they were legally eligible.
This caused a “chilling effect” that harmed families, strained local service providers, and undermined public health. Policies that drive families away from health care and basic services hurt Maine’s economy and the well-being of our communities as a whole.
Maine’s immigrant communities already navigate complex systems to meet basic needs. Policies that inject uncertainty and fear into the process only deepen existing barriers to stability, health care, and economic opportunity.
This rule tells working taxpayers: we will take your tax dollars, but we may punish you if you ever need the basic services those dollars fund. It invites a future where any American could be punished for needing the programs they help sustain, and that should alarm every taxpayer in this country.