Families in the Balance: What does the Policy Debate Mean for Immigrant Families’ Economic Security?
The EITC Funders Network, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees (GCIR), and Grantmakers Income Security Taskforce (GIST) co-hosted a webinar on Tuesday, September 12th on the profound and wide-ranging challenges to immigrant families’ economic security and strategies for grantmakers seeking avenues for response.
The policy debate underway in Washington, D.C. has serious implications for lives across the nation, but few groups face as many challenges as immigrant families. The health, nutrition, and economic security of immigrant families are threatened by many recent legislative and administrative proposals, including a leaked draft executive order from the Trump administration that would seek to punish low-income immigrants who lawfully use health and nutrition programs and bar entry to newcomers who may be deemed as likely to seek out such assistance. Other congressional proposals could drastically cut family-based immigration and limit access to crucial tax credits, lowering immigrant parents’ take-home pay. In addition, increased immigration enforcement measures have already created a chilling effect, making immigrants reluctant to continue using or apply for programs like SNAP, WIC, or Medicaid.
Speakers from the National Immigration Law Center and CLASP, who have recently launched a campaign to address these policy threats, considered the repercussions for immigrant children, families, and communities as well as the role for grantmakers.
Speakers
- Wendy Cervantes, Senior Policy Analyst, Immigration and Immigrant Families, CLASP
- Laura Speer, Associate Director, Policy Reform and Advocacy, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Jackie Vimo, Policy Analyst, National Immigration Law Center