Self-deportation is the answer.
Via LA Daily News:
Some Los Angeles County immigrants who are eligible for food assistance programs are staying away because they fear enrollment will hurt their chances of becoming a permanent U.S. citizen or even lead to deportation, county officials said Wednesday.
The annual CalFresh Awareness campaign was launched this month by Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Social Services. The program helps low-income families and individuals buy fresh food with an Electronic Benefit Transfer or EBT card in stores, farmers markets and participating restaurant chains. U.S. citizens and legal residents are eligible to apply for the CalFresh program.
But many who qualify are staying away. The reason, officials say, is the term “public charge.” A public charge is a non-U.S. citizen who is likely to become dependent on public assistance, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. There are many factors that are considered, but if a person is deemed a public charge, he or she may be disqualified from becoming a citizen and ultimately deported.
“One of the barriers that we encounter is the misunderstanding of a public charge,” said Carlos Portillo, human services administrator for Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Social Services.
“We have been conducting the CalFresh awareness for the last seven years, and this particular program is not considered public charge,” he added. “That’s one of the issues we’re trying to address.
Examples of who may be considered as public charge are people who need cash assistance or those who need long-term care at government expense, but again, “receipt of such benefits must still be considered in the context of the totality of the circumstances before a person will be deemed inadmissible on public charge grounds,” according to federal immigration officials.
HT: Wirecutter