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Trump Admin Will Attempt to Eliminate Green Cards For Immigrants Who Used Public Aid
For nearly two years, the Trump administration has been taking every steps possible limit immigrants from coming to our country LEGALLY. That has been lost in the many awful headlines about a border wall, ICE deportations, Muslim ban, families separations, and so on.
The Trump administration is proposing a new regulation that would make it extremely difficult for many immigrants to come to the US or receive green cards if they’re deemed likely to use public benefits like food stamps or Medicaid.
Federal law has historically sought to exclude immigrants who are likely to become a "public charge," but the proposed rule would expand the government's ability to deny immigrants residency or visas if they or family members benefit from aid programs, such as Medicaid Part D, a prescription drug program for the elderly and disabled; the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP); and Section 8 housing vouchers.
The current “public charge” definition is so narrow that the government almost never rejects applications on those grounds. The Trump administration’s proposed new definition, on the other hand, would require a far-ranging inventory of an immigrant’s history and economic prospects. It would give enormous discretion to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers to reject an immigrant’s application for admission, or for a green card, because the officer feels the immigrant doesn’t make enough money to support a large family or doesn’t have the resources to provide health care for a preexisting condition.
Essentially if you aren't already well-off, you can't come here. If you have a health issue, you can't come here. It's a message many Republicans would proudly be in favor of despite attending church every Sunay.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a press release that the proposal was aimed at protecting taxpayers, but advocates for immigrant rights say they would force thousands to choose between staying in the country and receiving public assistance.
....the message that immigrants are likely to receive is simple: that they shouldn’t use public benefits if they want to stay in the US. Public assistance clinics to pediatricians are already seeing this “chilling effect” just based on rumors of the rule....
....public health officials warn about the rule's lasting impact on families, with "many immigrants dropping out of benefit programs....."
There are significantly more detailed in the Vox article linked below that are worth your time to review.
Sources:
https://www.vox.com/2018/9/24/17892350/public-charge-immigration-food-stamps-medicaid-trump