PRESS RELEASE
AAPCHO Commends President Biden’s Executive Actions on Immigration Reform
February 2, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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WASHINGTON –Today, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO) released the following statement on President Biden’s executive actions on immigration reform. The President signed an Executive Order that includes an immediate review of the public charge rule and other actions to remove barriers and restore trust in the legal immigration system.
Adam Carbullido, AAPCHO’s director of policy and advocacy, said:
“AAPCHO and our member community health centers commend President Biden for taking additional executive actions to realign immigration policies with our nation’s values of welcoming and valuing immigrants and their families. These are important first steps to undo the many harms caused by the previous administration, and we look forward to working with the Biden administration to protect and expand immigrant access and eligibility to health care.
“AAPCHO and our members applaud President Biden for prioritizing efforts to do away with the Trump administration’s public charge rule. In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, this rule is preventing people from seeking the health care they need out of fear of being separated from their loved ones. This exacerbates health disparities within low-income and communities of color and places additional strain on health care providers’ ability to care for patients.
“We congratulate Secretary Mayorkas on his confirmation today to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Under his leadership, there should be no excuse for the agencies to hesitate to rescind the public charge rule. While this process will take time, the longer public charge remains in effect, the longer it will take to rebuild trust and thaw the chill it has caused in communities across the nation.”
About AAPCHO
AAPCHO is a national association of community health organizations dedicated to promoting advocacy, collaboration and leadership that improves the health status and access of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in the United States. For more information on AAPCHO, please visit www.aapcho.org.
Contact
Kristine Cecile Alarcon, (510) 671-5054, kalarcon@aapcho.org