By April Xu

In mid December, Melody Yang, an entitlement benefits specialist at the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), received an unexpected request from one of her Chinese clients. “Can you withdraw my SNAP application?” the woman asked.

Yang had helped her file the application less than two weeks ago. The client is a U.S. citizen and fully eligible for benefits. But fear had set in.

According to Yang, the woman was worried that receiving food assistance could jeopardize her husband’s immigration status. The fear – slowly growing amid immigrant communities –  stems from the chilling effect of a proposed public charge rule under the Trump administration, which could penalize immigrants deemed likely to depend on government benefits.

Advocates say cases like this are becoming more common, as immigrant families navigate a mix of policy uncertainty, rising costs, and gaps in the social safety net.

On March 14, also known as Pi Day, more than 50 immigrant residents, advocates, and policymakers gathered at CPC’s office near Chinatown to warn of rising hunger and urge state leaders to pass the Protect, Invest, and Expand (PIE) Food Security Package in the final state budget, prioritizing hunger prevention and food access.

According to the New York State Council on Hunger and Food Policy, about 1 in every 7 New Yorkers reported a lack of reliable access to sufficient food from 2022 to 2024 – a statistically significant increase from 2019 to 2021— amounting to roughly 300,000 additional households struggling to get enough to eat. The agency attributes the growing food insecurity crisis to low wages, unemployment, and the high cost of living, compounded by recent challenges such as federal shutdowns and shifts in long-term federal policies.

To read the entire article: https://documentedny.com/2026/03/19/as-hunger-surges-immigrants-and-advocates-demand-passage-of-food-security-package/

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