A change in the “public charge” rule by the Trump administration will have a chilling effect on New Jersey’s immigrant families, according to a new report released today by New Jersey Policy Perspective (NJPP).

The report, New Immigration Rule Will Have Chilling Effect on New Jersey’s Mixed-Status Families, calculates the number of New Jerseyans impacted by the proposed rule and its effect on the state’s economy. Nearly 700,000 New Jerseyans will be effected by the new Trump Rule—including 250,000 children—and residents could stand to lose up to $514 million in federal funds. 

“With this rule change the Trump administration is drastically altering who gets a chance to be an American,” said Erika Nava, NJPP Policy Analyst and author of the report. “The Trump Rule prioritizes well-off immigrants while narrowing the legal pathways that immigrants can seek to adjust their status. This is state-sponsored cruelty as it creates an incentive for immigrant families to disenroll from assistance programs they need to survive in order to avoid scrutiny. The impact of this change will be widespread as New Jersey has the third largest immigration population in the nation.”

Key findings of the report:

• Upwards of 700,000New Jerseyans, including 250,000children, will be harmed intentionally or as a side effect of the Trump Rule.
• New Jersey will lose up to $514 millionin federal funds to state residents, with a ripple effect of $992 millionlost in economic activity
• Up to 22 percentof non-citizens in New Jersey will be deemed unacceptable if subjected to the Trump Rule.

Read the full report here.