Public Charge in the Time of Coronavirus

Abstract

In 2020, the United States government passed legislation and stabilization packages to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak by providing paid sick leave, tax credits, and free virus testing; expanding food assistance and unemployment benefits; and increasing Medicaid funding. However, the response to the global pandemic might have been hindered by the lassitude of the state and the prevailing conception of social policy that leaves the most vulnerable unprotected. The “zero tolerance” immigration campaign that was executed until January 2021 had negative public health consequences, especially for the prevention of communicable diseases. In addition to the systemic obstacles noncitizens face in their access to healthcare, changes to immigration law that penalize recipients of some social services on grounds that they are a public charge further restricted their access to treatment and hindered the fight against the pandemic.