During the last two federal administrations, immigrants have experienced rapid policy shifts affecting their access to public safety net programs. Looming especially large were changes to the public charge rule, by which the Trump administration sought to expand consideration of noncash public benefits receipt (such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program [SNAP], and housing assistance programs) in applications for green cards (i.e., permanent residency) or temporary visas.

In this summary, we use Well-being and Basic Needs Survey data to provide updated estimates of chilling effects in 2023 among immigrant families (i.e., families in which the respondent or a family member living with them was not born in the US). Our analysis examines the differences in these effects based on family citizenship and immigration status and the presence of children under age 19 in the household. We find the following:

• Nearly one in four adults in mixed-status families avoided safety net programs because of green card concerns in 2023.
• Over one in seven adults in immigrant families with children avoided safety net programs because of green card concerns.
• In addition to avoiding safety net programs, mixed-status families and immigrant families with children experienced high rates of material hardship in 2023.

Our results suggest that many people in immigrant families are missing out on needed safety net benefits, including many of the 3.5 million US citizen and lawfully present children in low-income families who live with at least one undocumented parent. Encouraging safety net program participation among eligible immigrant families would likely require strategies, such as increased resources for community-based organizations working with immigrant families, simplified enrollment and renewal processes for safety net programs, and expanded safety net program eligibility.