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FAIR Take | June2023

Last week, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D.-Wash.), Rep. Tony Crdenas (D-Cal.) and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI)announcedthe re-introduction of legislation that would make legal permanent residents immediately eligible for all major federal benefits programs beginning dayone.

The legislation, calledLifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration(orLIFT the BAR) Act eliminates the current statutory five-year waiting period for immigrants to be eligible for all of the major federal benefits programs. These programs include Medicaid, the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program (otherwise known as Social Security Disability). The bill would not only provide immediate access to these benefits for green card holders, it would also provide it to illegal aliens whose deportations have been deferred such as DACA beneficiaries, TPS beneficiaries, parolees, andothers.

The bill does not stop with federal benefits. Based on the same legislationintroduced by these Members in 2021, the LIFT the BAR Act would also make green card holders and lawfully present aliens immediately eligible for state and local benefits. It also repeals current law that requires a sponsors income to be attributed to the immigrants income for purposes of determining eligibility for benefitsprograms.

The five-year waiting period was passed by Congress in 1996 (and signed into law by President Bill Clinton) in support of a long-standing policy that foreign nationals emigrating to the United States should not become a fiscal burden to Americansincluding generations of immigrants who have already settled in the U.S. For example,Section 212(a)(4)of the INA expressly states that an alien is inadmissible as an immigrant if he or she is likely at any time to become a public charge. The same section requires that family sponsors of immigrants sign affidavits of support, pledging to accept financial responsibility for the individual they sponsor to come to theU.S.

The progressive Democrats sponsoring the LIFT the BAR Act, however, do not see this as reasonable or common-sense public policy. To the contrary, in herpress releaseannouncing the legislation, lead sponsor Representative Jayapal said, Im proud to be leading this legislation to finally eliminate cruel, xenophobic, and unreasonable barriers to health care, nutrition assistance, and other life-changing public benefits. Senator Hirono similarly remarked, Immigrants play integral roles in our communities and should not have to endure an arbitrary waiting period just to access essentialbenefits.

The cost of such legislation could easily reach well into the billions. But that has not deterred Democratic support for the legislation. The last time the LIFT the BAR ACT was introduced (in 2021), it had the support of 100 co-sponsors. This version of the bill is likely to see the same level of support. The authors also boast of support from nearly 200 open-borders organizations. Fortunately, this bill is not likely to move in the Republican-controlled House ofRepresentatives.

Originally posted here:
Progressives Fight to Give Immigrants Immediate Access to ... - Federation for American Immigration Reform