‘Deny immigrants on benefits green cards’

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DHS proposes new rule promoting immigrant self-sufficiency

WASHINGTON, Sept 23, (Agencies): US immigrants who get public benefits like food stamps or housing vouchers could be denied green cards, under a new proposal from President Donald Trump’s administration.

Trump came to power pledging to make immigration to the United States more difficult, and reduce the number of people allowed to stay in the country. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Saturday that under the proposed rule change, being a current or previous receipient of certain public aid would be seen as a “heavily weighed negative factor” in considering an application for lawful permanent residency. “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,” Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said.

Benefits
Immigrants applying for green cards are already required to prove they will not become a so-called “public charge,” with receipt of cash benefits considered. But the latest rules set out a wide range of non-cash public benefits that could be disqualifying, including food stamps, housing vouchers and the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy which helps with prescription costs.

DHS estimated the rule would affect just over 382,200 immigrants applying to adjust their status to lawful permanent residents each year. The rule would primarily affect legal immigrants or people seeking to come to the US legally, as undocumented immigrants are already ineligible for most means-tested public benefits.

In a June report examining the potential effects – based on a leaked draft – the Migration Policy Institute warned many immigrants and their families may forgo benefits and services for which they are eligible “out of fear of real or perceived immigration consequences.” Advocates also expressed fears that immigrant families could find themselves having to choose between a united family and accessing necessities. “(The rule change) places wealth over family, denying ordinary working families a place in America,” said Olivia Golden, executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy. The proposal will be subject to a 60-day comment period before coming into effect.

Proposal
The 447-page proposal published on the department’s website will appear in the Federal Register “in the coming weeks,” triggering a 60-day public comment period before it takes effect. Coming less than seven weeks before midterm elections, the announcement could help galvanize voters who have backed or opposed Trump’s broad crackdown on legal and illegal immigration.

Immigrant advocacy groups said people may avoid or withdraw from public aid programs even at the risk of losing shelter and suffering deteriorating health because they worry they will be denied visas. Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center, said the proposal was “an inhumane attack on the health and wellbeing of so many families and communities across the country.”

“How you contribute to your community – and not what you look like or the contents of your – should be what matters most,” she said. “This proposed rule does the opposite and makes clear that the Trump administration continues to prioritize money over family unity by ensuring that only the wealthiest can afford to build a future in this country.” Potentially disqualifying benefits include Medicare Part D prescription drugs, Medicaid with some exceptions for emergency services and disability services related to education, food stamps and Section 8 housing vouchers.

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