The COVID-19 crisis heightened the consequences of policies that have systemically excluded or deterred immigrant families from participating in safety net programs, posing risks for community well-being, public health, and economic recovery. Recent pandemic relief bills have expanded eligibility for some aid, and the Biden administration has halted expansion of the public charge rule, but immigrant families continue facing formal and informal barriers to accessing the complex US safety net.
Join Sarah Rosen Wartell, president of the Urban Institute, for the next installment in Urban’s conversation series, Evidence to Action. During this virtual event, Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-CA), who represents California’s 27th district, will discuss immigrants’ inclusion in and connection to the safety net. Following that, Hamutal Bernstein, principal research associate at the Urban Institute, and Huma Zarif, former staff attorney at Northwest Health Law Advocates, will join Wartell to address the ways federal policies and practices could improve immigrant families’ access to safety net and relief programs, fostering well-being and boosting the economy.