密歇根新闻广播 移民担心政府援助会将其驱逐出境

Here's a question some doctors and attorneys are getting: if you're an immigrant – even a legal one – could you get deported¹ for using food stamps? What about Medicaid?

There's a lot of fear among immigrants right now that getting public assistance could make them a target.

Take the calls Dr. Eric Bouwens started getting a few weeks ago at the Clinica Santa Maria in Grand Rapids.

"In the past the week, we've had a number of people call us, in a big hurry to get off of their emergency Medicaid or WIC program," he says, referring to the food assistance program for low-income pregnant moms and their babies. "Because they're concerned that that's going to trigger them for being sought out for deportation³."

Here's why.

First, the Washington Post published a draft executive order that apparently⁴ leaked from the White House, saying you can be removed from the U.S. if you get "public benefits … on the basis of … financial need."

Then, on Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a new memo⁵ saying it's now a priority to deport², "aliens who … have abused any program related to receipt of public benefits."

Confused? Join the club.

When food stamps feel like a risk, is it worth having snacks for the kids?

In Detroit, Veronica told her husband whether they should get off food stamps, just in case.

"But then we're going to have more lack of things for the kids," she says, sitting on their couch one morning last week. "And not so much, you know, snacks and stuff like that."

Veronica lives here in Detroit legally. She's got a green card. Her four kids were born here in the U.S., so they're citizens. But her husband Fernando is undocumented. They say he's not receiving any public benefits, but ask that we just use their first names.

Veronica says it feels like a calculated risk just to take the kids to the doctor, since they're covered under Medicaid. But so far it's a risk they're willing to take, she says, since their oldest son has ADHD and their older daughter was diagnosed with PTSD.

"I feel like it's helping," Veronica says. "She has been hospitalized twice for mental health services for a crisis. So, if we didn't have that, she wouldn't have that time to process what was going on with her."

Another woman in Detroit, who doesn't want us to use her name, told her doctor she wanted to get off WIC because she heard on social media that her kids would have to pay it back someday.

"Because now, we're enjoying the benefits," she said through an interpreter. "What I don't want is for my daughter to pay the consequences on our behalf."

Ruby⁶ Robinson says his clients are calling him about these fears all the time. He's a supervising attorney at the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, and it's frustrating⁷ when he doesn't have much clarity to give them, he says.

"You know, it's just another way to pressure non-citizens to depart or leave the United States," Robinson says of the memo and leaked draft order. "Making life so difficult or untenable here, that they don't want to stay."

So why are these memos⁸ and leaks talking about public benefits?

As it is, the only way you can legally get food stamps or Medicaid is if you've got a green card for five years, or you're a refugee. But you can get something referred to as "emergency Medcaid" for an urgent, life-saving procedure even if you're undocumented. And pregnant women are eligible⁹ for WIC regardless of their immigration status, the idea being that they're carrying babies who will likely be born in the U.S. as citizens.

We called up Immigration and Customs Enforcement and asked about the impetus¹⁰ behind the changes, and whether there is public assistance fraud among undocumented immigrants. A spokesperson said he'd look into it, and recommended we call told us the federal food stamps program. Their spokesperson told us that they don't even keep that kind of data – fraud, when it comes to food stamps, usually refers to people selling food stamps for cash. 

Meanwhile, Fernando, Veronica's undocumented husband, is so anxious he's stopped leaving the house except to go to work.

The other day, he says, their four-year-old daughter tried to make a joke.

"She tried to scare me. And she said, ‘Donald Trump¹¹ is behind you!' And I thought wow, she thinks Donald Trump is a monster. I just tell her, ‘No, no, you're with me, you're safe. I'm here. Don't worry about that monster, you know?'" He sighs, and shake his head. "Oh, god."

1 deported   

v.将…驱逐出境( deport的过去式和过去分词 )；举止

参考例句：

• They stripped me of my citizenship and deported me. 他们剥夺我的公民资格，将我驱逐出境。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The convicts were deported to a deserted island. 罪犯们被流放到一个荒岛。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 deport   

vt.驱逐出境

参考例句：

• We deport aliens who slip across our borders.我们把偷渡入境的外国人驱逐出境。
• More than 240 England football fans are being deported from Italy following riots last night.昨晚的骚乱发生后有240多名英格兰球迷被驱逐出意大利。

3 deportation   

n.驱逐，放逐

参考例句：

• The government issued a deportation order against the four men.政府发出了对那4名男子的驱逐令。
• Years ago convicted criminals in England could face deportation to Australia.很多年以前，英国已定罪的犯人可能被驱逐到澳大利亚。

4 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

5 memo   

n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章

参考例句：

• Do you want me to send the memo out?您要我把这份备忘录分发出去吗？
• Can you type a memo for me?您能帮我打一份备忘录吗？

6 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

7 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 memos   

n.备忘录( memo的名词复数 )；（美）内部通知

参考例句：

• Big shots get their dander up and memos start flying. 大人物们怒火中烧，备忘录四下乱飞。 来自辞典例句
• There was a pile of mail, memos and telephone messages on his desk. 他的办公桌上堆满着信件、备忘录和电话通知。 来自辞典例句

9 eligible   

adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的

参考例句：

• He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
• Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。

10 impetus   

n.推动，促进，刺激；推动力

参考例句：

• This is the primary impetus behind the economic recovery.这是促使经济复苏的主要动力。
• Her speech gave an impetus to my ideas.她的讲话激发了我的思绪。

11 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。