Today, the Supreme Court of the United States of America issued a decision lifting the injunction issued by multiple judges on the Trump administration’s “public charge” policy to restrict permanent legal status for immigrants who have used public benefits or those who in the determination of the Trump Administration may someday use public benefits, including those with working class incomes.
The following is a statement from Pili Tobar, Deputy Director of America’s Voice:
The Supreme Court’s decision on public charge just confirmed that immigration in Trump’s America is means tested and only for the rich. By allowing the administration to deny various forms of immigration status on the basis of a working class income, the Trump administration is not only discriminating against yet one more group of individuals but putting in jeopardy the life and well being of US citizen children in mixed status families who live in this country; families that must now decide between the assistance they need and their prosperity, or their family’s potential ability to adjust their status.
Trump and his Senior Advisor Stephen Miller want to make America white again by closing the door to people of color, women, Muslims and working class families striving for a better life. On Friday, Trump banned travel visas for women who are pregnant or could become pregnant. Three years ago, they banned people from several Muslim majority countries and have all but eliminated the legal process of asylum and refugee resettlement. This week they plan to ban travel and immigration for about 25% of Africans.
According to Trump and his cronies, only the rich, white and male are suitable for the American way of life. The breadth of this decision is staggering — experts estimate that it would cut legal immigration in half. We’re not done fighting and while this goes into effect, other lawsuits will continue.
Once again, the Supreme Court is giving the President and his team a shortcut by overruling a lower court’s nationwide injunction while the issue is adjudicated. This is another abuse of power to shortcut the system, greenlight Trump’s xenophobic agenda and aid his re-election campaign. We condemn the decision and we cannot allow for the highest court of the land to be manipulated by Trump and his extreme followers or serve as the judicial wing of Trump’s deportation force.
