MLRI Attorney Vicky Pulos Explains ‘Public Charge’ Rule Change, Impact on Massachusetts

The Trump administration instituted a recent immigration rule change, one that’s a year in the making. This rule, on public charge, links immigrants’ future legal status to their use of public benefits: food stamps, housing assistance and Medicaid.

The change, currently scheduled for Oct. 15, would impact immigrants who already live here and are seeking green cards, as well as new immigrants trying to enter the United States.

New factors “will make it much harder for working-class immigrants to get a green card,” said Vicky Pulos, senior staff attorney at the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. “People have described this as substituting a wealth test for a public charge test.” Listen to the complete interview with WBUR.