National WIC Association

Resources for Assuaging Immigration Fears from WIC Participants

April 11, 2017

Are you looking for a document to share with participants who have expressed concerns about participating in WIC because of their immigration status? If so, please feel free to adapt and use the following flyers developed by Michigan WIC. These flyers use simple language to let participants know that WIC welcomes everyone, that WIC does not ask for or keep information about visa status or citizenship, and that all participant responses are kept confidential. The flyers are available in English, Spanish, and Arabic. They can be printed on 8 ½ x 11 paper or on larger poster paper, and can be handed out or hung up in your WIC clinics.

Also, as a reminder NWA has published two recent blog posts on this subject: In Defense of WIC: Guidance for Navigating Uncertainty around WIC and Immigration and Draft Executive Order Potentially Impacting WIC. In addition, NWA is currently collecting responses to a survey asking the question, Have you learned of or experienced the effects of our political environment on individual clients or overall caseload? We are not interested in names, but expressions of fear, uncharacteristic numbers of cancelled appointments or no-shows, unusual or unanticipated caseload declines for specific ethnic or cultural groups, or other information you feel of relevance and critical for us to learn.