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SPLC statement on Trump administration's proposal to punish legal immigrants for seeking public assistance

News that the Trump administration is proposing to penalize lawful immigrants for accessing health care, food and housing assistance and other government programs shows how far this administration will go to rip apart immigrant communities.

This proposal would punish people for using programs intended to help them and their families live productive, healthy lives. It would force families to choose between necessities such as medical care and food, and their right to remain in the United States with their families.  

This proposal is another effort to restrict lawful immigration to the United States, and it should be seen for what it is: an assault on American values of decency and fairness.

Image: Washington Post/Getty Images​