Protecting the Privacy of Immigrants and their Families: Template Letter and References

The model letter and appendix on this page are intended for your reference. They were originally authored by the National Immigration Law Center in February 2018 during the first Trump administration.

The letter can be copied and revised for use with a particular state or local agency. These materials include federal laws, regulations, and guidance that protect the personal information that immigrant families provide to public benefits agencies when applying for health, nutrition, cash assistance, child care, housing, and other public benefits programs. Your state may have additional protections that you can also include.

Numerous partners, including the Food Research & Action Center, The Shriver Center on Poverty Law, the Legal Council for Health Justice, and the National Housing Law Project contributed to this work. Please send any questions to Sonya Schwartz, Consultant, Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) (sonya@pifcoalition.org) or Tanya Broder, National Immigration Law Center Senior Counsel (broder@nilc.org).