Yesterday, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the Trump administration’s inhumane “public charge” proposal, which would deny immigrants who use public benefits a green card, could hurt up to 475,000 New Yorkers and cost the city of New York $420 million annually. DNC Vice Chairs Michael Blake and Grace Meng issued the following statement in response:

“The penalization of poverty and attempted dehumanization of immigrants and people of color continues under the Trump administration. This clearly punitive proposal would force people to decide between public benefits and citizenship and punish parents for doing what’s best for their children. No one should ever be forced to choose between feeding their family or accessing health care and their future in our country. As the children of immigrants and lifelong residents of the diverse city of New York, we ask that, as Americans, we all stand up together to reject this inhumane proposal. We must make it clear that we stand with immigrant communities of all  skin colors, countries of origin, accents, and languages against this discriminatory policy.”