CACF Warns Expanded Federal ‘Public Charge’ Rule Will Trigger Dangerous Healthcare and Food Disenrollment Across New York State
New York, NY (July 23, 2026) — The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) issued a strong warning today following the Department of Homeland Security’s announcement of an expanded Public Charge rule, set to take effect on September 18, 2026. CACF warns that the broader, intentionally vaguer standard for green card eligibility and citizenship will create widespread fear amongst families regarding public benefits, forcing immigrant families to forgo critical healthcare and basic food assistance.
Under federal law, the Public Charge rule evaluates whether an individual applying for a green card or visa is likely to become primarily dependent on government assistance. The newly expanded rule broadens the factors immigration officials can use to deny applications, allowing officers to weigh health conditions, English proficiency, and use of benefits like SNAP (food stamps) and Medicaid.
“This change to Public Charge will cause an extreme chilling effect in immigrant communities, severely impacting the way immigrant families interact with the healthcare system. No one should be fearful of accessing medical care or putting food on their table out of fear for their legal status. We are already seeing a chilling effect across NYC, mirroring 2017 when families and pregnant individuals went without care,” said CACF’s Co-Executive Directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung. “We call on elected officials at every level of government to protect immigrant New Yorkers’ access to essential healthcare and public benefits.”
While the rule applies to individuals seeking lawful permanent residence or entry, CACF notes that fear and misinformation are already causing even exempt immigrants to pull out of essential benefits—a dangerous repeat of disenrollment trends seen during previous rule changes.
Key Facts on Public Charge Impact in NYC:
Broadened Criteria: Officers will now evaluate factors like health conditions (e.g., diabetes), English fluency, and past or family use of programs like Medicaid and SNAP.
The "Chilling Effect": A previous study showed nearly 80% of local community groups saw immigrants avoid benefits, and 60% saw patients delay medical care due to public charge confusion.
Who is Affected: Over 3.1 million New York City residents are foreign-born, and hundreds of thousands rely on programs like SNAP and Medicaid to meet their basic needs. Among AAPI communities, more than 1 million Asian Americans in New York are covered by public health insurance, and approximately 40.9% of eligible Asian American households in New York City are enrolled in SNAP.
CACF urges elected officials to protect vulnerable immigrant New Yorkers and calls on community members to know their rights ahead of the official rule change in September using these resources from our partners at Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF).
About CACF
The Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) is the nation’s only pan-Asian children and families advocacy organization. Founded in 1986, CACF fights for equity and opportunity for marginalized Asian American Pacific Islander children and families through policy advocacy, leadership development, coalition building, and community engagement across New York State.
For media inquiries, please contact: Lakshmi Gandhi, CACF’s Senior Communications Coordinator, at lgandhi@cacf.org.
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