Finding 3: Fear of Anti-Immigrant Policies Can Inhibit or Enable Action

Immigrants from all backgrounds understand that they can be targeted by the next wave of policy changes—which for some causes action, while others will see it as a barrier.

As we planned our research, we did not fully appreciate the degree to which the Trump administration’s rhetoric, from the 2016 campaign cycle to its current anti-immigrant policymaking, had affected the psyche of the immigrant community. There are often naturalization petition spikes around galvanizing moments, like election years, that return to “normal” rates hovering around 750,000 afterward. However, there was no comparable drop during fiscal years 2016 and 2017, which saw 972,151 and 986,851 naturalization petitions, respectively.¹ Many of the subject matter experts and interviewees we spoke with pointed to the Trump administration and its administrative policy changes as cause for the increase. While not conclusive, research has shown a correlation between anti-immigrant policies and an ability for grassroots organizations to turn fear into a call-to-action for naturalization as protection.²

Initial data indicates that this spike is beginning to fall. Many LPRs understand that naturalization affords them protection against these policies, but there is growing anxiety about the increased difficulty of the naturalization process and forthcoming changes to immigration policy. Currently, immigrants applying for Green Cards must not be found likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, a concept called “public charge.” Green Card holders can access many of the same social benefits as citizens and many benefits are not considered for public charge purposes. But in 2018, the Trump administration proposed a public charge rule that would make it much harder to meet the public charge test for Green Card applicants. The rule is just a proposal, but counterfactual rumors began circulating that the rule would also affect those seeking to naturalize. Federal rulemaking is complex and takes time, but the reaction to rumors on changes to the public charge rule have heavily impacted the immigrant community. We heard from many subject matter experts that mentioned the harm created by the public charge rumors led to drops in attendance at citizenship clinics, classes, and nutritional programs³ — some of which are unrelated to any government service.

Fear and concern around changes from the administration were felt most profoundly by people from Hispanic or Middle Eastern countries of origin. However, this fear was recognized widely and a number of interviewees from other countries were also worried about how anti-immigrant policies could change and target them. Fears vary wildly, from an uncertainty as to whether they would be allowed back into the country if they traveled abroad to a fear that the administration would revoke a person’s citizenship. It is clear that these fears did not exist to this degree before President Trump took office.

“Like I need to leave or I need to go to Mexico on May next year, and I'm not going to take my daughter with me. I'm kind of worried that while I'm in Mexico, Trump is going to be like we don't like Mexicans anymore, don't let them come back.” Interviewee 26, informing us why they don’t feel safer with a Green Card.

While the naturalization case backlog increases⁴ and policies work through the halls of Washington, LPRs are rethinking how they feel about naturalization. Some informed us that they would not apply while President Trump was in office for fear of making a simple mistake on their application. Among some, there is also an unease of what it now means to become American.

“Then, at the point where I was ready to do it again, it's just that that took a really long time, and then Trump got into office, and some new regulations have been put in place that make me very nervous about applying now, so I'm kind of thinking of waiting until the next administration.” Interviewee 7

Anti-immigrant policies may cause a set of LPRs to act, but may also leave a large number of them increasingly vulnerable. Many nonprofits are already adjusting their outreach to be more explicit about what policies are being enacted and how they affect different kinds of immigrants, but more will need to be done to break through rumors and misinformed reporting, in addition to finding ways to deepen social safety nets.