| Dear Katy, California is showing the country a better alternative to Trump's hateful race baiting. Thanks to a new law, people under age 25 – no matter their immigration status – will be able to go see a doctor through the state's Medicaid program.1 In a just society, health care would already be available for everyone, but that's not what Donald Trump wants. Today, millions of immigrants pay taxes but cannot access government services, either because they are not eligible or because they fear seeking benefits will put them on ICE's radar.2 Progressives can't be afraid of this fight. Denying public benefits only punishes populations already under attack, and it has to stop. Every human being living in our society deserves respect, dignity and compassion – and that means no one should be denied the services and benefits they need simply because of their immigration status. Tell Congress: Safety net for all. Pass the Embrace Act. Click here to sign the petition. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just released six bills that would fight poverty in America. One of them, the Embrace Act, would make all federal benefits available to eligible adults, regardless of immigration status.3 It's a bigger, bolder version of the California bill, and it just makes sense:4,5 - Millions of immigrants are already paying in to programs like Social Security, even though many cannot access their earned benefits because of their immigration status.
- It is the right thing to do. It is unforgivable to deny a child access to food assistance or health insurance or block a hard-working parent from disability simply because of their or their parent's documentation status.
We need to stand up for our values instead of living in our fears. After Democratic presidential candidates endorsed expanding health care benefits in a July debate, Trump pounced. Instead of calling out his hateful lies, political commentators insisted that Democrats made an awful mistake. A racist xenophobe like Trump will never stop demonizing immigrant communities and attacking his opponents for helping them.6 And Democrats cannot counter Trump by being slightly more politely anti-immigrant. We need to offer a better vision for a more just and prosperous society where everyone is respected and everyone benefits. We need to stand with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and immigrant communities and insist on opening public benefits to all. Tell Congress: Safety net for all. Pass the Embrace Act. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/embrace-act-aoc-immigration?t=9&akid=34827%2E12967895%2E8XpbgV Thank you for speaking out, Heidi Hess, Co-Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets Add your name: References: - Bobby Allyn, "California Is 1st State To Offer Health Benefits To Adult Undocumented Immigrants," NPR, July 10, 2019.
- Ibid.
- Robert Stribley, "No, Undocumented Immigrants Aren't Stealing Your Benefits," HuffPost, Nov. 21, 2017
- Francie Diep, "What Would Happen If the Government Covered Undocumented Immigrants' Health Care?" Pacific Standard, July 3, 2019.
- Ibid.
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