Democrats in the House and Senate introduced a bill Thursday that would give immigrants immediate access to a range of federal benefits instead of making them wait five years.
Congress passed a law in 1996 that requires most immigrants to wait five years after obtaining their official immigration status before they can access Medicaid, food stamps and other federal programs. That request was passed as part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which passed the House and Senate by 3-to-1 margins and was signed into law by President Clinton.
But under the bill from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and Tony Cardenas, D-Calif., and Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Calif., would no longer apply the five-year waiting period. Democrats say the “arbitrary” five-year wait makes it harder for immigrants to get “critical benefits and services.”
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Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., and several other Democrats want to end the five-year wait before immigrants can access federal benefits. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
“As an immigrant who came to this country alone at the age of 16, I am proud to have led this legislation to permanently eliminate cruel, xenophobic, and unreasonable barriers to health care, nutrition assistance, and other public benefit that changes lives,” Jayapal said in a statement about his bill, the LIFT the BAR Act. “Immigrants and families should not have to wait to access these essential services.”
“For more than 25 years, unjust policies have prevented millions of legally present immigrants from accessing critical services and programs, including quality health care, food assistance and housing, economic support, and more,” Hirono added.
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President Biden has been accused by Republicans of ignoring immigration law and putting more pressure on US border states. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
Democrats say that next year, non-elderly immigrants will make up about 8% of the total US population, but make up about one-third of the non-elderly uninsured population. Cardenas said immigrant families need immediate access to federal benefits to “survive and thrive.”
The bill was proposed amid what Republicans say is an immigration crisis, as millions of migrants continue to cross into the US illegally. Many Republicans have said that these unchecked migrants lead not only to a drain on federal resources but a means of drug trafficking and other problems, and say President Biden’s failure to enforce US immigration laws is more attractive.
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Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, said immigrants need access to ‘critical’ federal benefits to survive in America. (Photo by Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images)
Groups supporting the Democrat bill, however, say ending the five-year wait for federal benefits is necessary to ensure these migrants succeed in America.
“Removing arbitrary barriers to health, nutrition support, housing assistance, and other essential public programs will bring us closer to a society where we all have the freedom to thrive,” said Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center.
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“The passage of the LIFT by BAR Act is an important step toward racial equality, and a quarter-century is more than long enough to wait for justice,” added Adriana Cadena, director of Protecting Immigrant Families . “House Democrats should make this bill a priority in 2023.”
