Los Angeles, CA (March 11, 2019)—In response to the Trump administration’s final rule about public charge, in which the they have changed the criteria for determining whether or not to allow certain immigrants to stay in the United States, Anita Zamora, deputy director and chief operations officer of Venice Family Clinic, issued the following statement:

“Venice Family Clinic opposes the administration’s changes to rules about ‘public charge,’ which change the criteria U.S. immigration officials use to determine whether legal immigrants can stay in the U.S. This rule puts the health of children at risk because it has already caused families in our community to give up health care coverage and other benefits out of fear they could lose their legal immigration status. We applaud California’s decision to file a lawsuit to block this rule and protect the health of immigrant children and their families.

We believe that all human beings should have access to basic services, including health care, food and housing. No one should be afraid to take their child to the doctor or ask for help because of their national origin.”