US considers denying green cards over welfare, food stamps

Measure would make immigrants hungrier, poorer, sicker, some say

The Trump administration has proposed strict new rules to deny green cards to millions of potential immigrants if they are deemed likely to use food stamps, welfare, housing vouchers or Medicaid when applying to enter the United States or trying to become permanent residents.

Department of Homeland Security officials, who announced the proposal late Saturday, said it would save federal taxpayers $2.7 billion annually by deterring immigrants from applying for benefits for which they would otherwise be qualified. It would affect about 380,000 people annually, federal officials said, and is designed to ensure the immigrants can support themselves.

“Under long-standing federal law, those seeking to immigrate to the United States must show they can support themselves financially,” said DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. “This proposed rule will implement a law passed by Congress intended to promote immigrant self-sufficiency and protect finite resources by ensuring that they are not likely to become burdens on American taxpayers.”

In certain cases, federal officials said, people who are already lawful permanent residents and have previously received benefits could be subject to the new rule if they leave the country and try to return. But most existing green card holders would be unaffected.

The proposed rules, which take up 447 pages in the Federal Register, are slated to take effect after a 60-day public review and comment period.

The administration’s proposal aligns with President Donald Trump’s campaign promises to pursue tougher immigration policies.

It’s also being unveiled in the heat of midterm elections, in which polls show Democrats could take control of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and are running close in very competitive Senate races. Stricter immigration policies are viewed as a hot-button issue to bring conservatives to the polls, while Democrats see them as a lightning rod for their base.

Hard-line conservatives have long argued against admitting immigrants who can’t support themselves. But immigrant advocates call it a cruel attack on some of the world’s most vulnerable people who are seeking a chance at a better life in the United States – and might need a little help getting started.

“This is long overdue,” Mark Krikorian, the executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, whose group backs reducing immigration, told The New York Times. “This country has defined public charge in a fictional way in order to facilitate high levels of lowskilled immigration. But this is simply a 21st-century definition of what public charge is.”

Immigration officials for decades have considered applicants’ financial status in deciding whether to permit them entry, but the new rules are significantly stricter than previous policy.

Pro-immigration groups are girding for a major fight to stop or alter the proposal, both by submitting comments on the plan and by investigating options for a lawsuit. They say immigrants worried about being denied a visa may avoid or withdraw from public aid programs even at the risk of losing shelter and suffering deteriorating health.

The proposed Trump policy means immigrants will be “hungrier, sicker and poorer,” said Olivia Golden, the executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy. “It targets documented working parents who are playing by the rules. Everything that we know suggests that it’s a terrible idea. We have to fight back.”