What is the new policy?
Since President Trump took office, his administration has dramatically cut the number of people obtaining lawful permanent residence—in other words, a green card—from 1,063,289 during the 2016 fiscal year to about 577,000 in 2019. The number of visas issued to people intending to immigrate has fallen from 617,752 to 462,422 over the same period. Critics charge that the administration’s efforts are racially motivated, since they disproportionately affect lower-income immigrants from Africa, Latin America, and Asia. They point to Trump’s repeated attacks on the diversity visa lottery program that annually grants entry to 50,000 immigrants from what Trump has described as “shithole countries.” The administration counters that it’s just emphasizing merit and skill and protecting the American taxpayer from a drain on the social safety net. What isn’t in dispute is the effect: “I don’t think we have seen any modern president engage in an effort to reduce the number of immigrants the way this president has,” said Kevin Johnson, dean of the University of California–Davis’ law school.
How has that been accomplished?
Immigration Act of 1891 and was used to deny applications from “idiots, insane persons, paupers, or persons likely to become a public charge.” But in August, the administration broadened that evaluation to include 20 separate factors, including English-language proficiency, credit scores, student loans, income level, and whether an applicant had received “noncash benefits for basic needs.” In announcing the policy, Ken Cuccinelli, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, altered the poem at the feet of the Statue of Liberty, saying, “Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge.” A study by the MPI found the new rules could potentially have blocked about two-thirds of green card recipients from 2012 to 2016. In January, the Supreme Court lifted two separate injunctions that allowed the administration to proceed with the public charge rule, which has been called “a wealth test” for immigrants.
What about fees?