EL PASO, TEXAS — Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-California 28) introduced legislation Thursday denying the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding to implement its new “public charge” regulation, which threatens health and social services access for millions in immigrant families. The Protect American Values Act has 52 House cosponsors.
The Protecting Immigrant Families coalition (PIF) coordinated a comment cosigned by 725 organizations nationwide, urging DHS to abandon the regulatory change. And a March 2026 PIF poll found that 83% of Americans want lawfully present immigrants to be able to get care and help when they need it.
In response to the bill’s introduction, PIF released the following statement from its executive director, Adriana Cadena.
“The Trump public charge regulation threatens the health and economic security of millions of U.S. citizen children and other eligible people in immigrant families. This rule could force parents to make the impossible choice between getting a green card and taking their child to the emergency room. And it establishes a secret process for the issuance of green cards, trading accountable government for politics and bias. We applaud Senator Hirono and Congresswoman Chu for introducing the Protect American Values Act, and demand that Congress act quickly on this critical legislation.”
