The Trump administration is reviving an effort that will likely make it tougher for many immigrants to obtain green cards if they use or are deemed likely to need public benefits, such as food stamps, Medicaid or housing vouchers, in its latest attempt to curb legal immigration.
What’s more, it could also have a “chilling effect” on hundreds of thousands of immigrant families, prompting them to disenroll from or not to apply for safety net programs that they – and particularly their US citizen children – are eligible to receive for fear of hurting their chances to be approved.
The final rule, published Monday, allows immigration officers to take into account a wider array of public assistance programs when determining whether green card applicants will likely become “public charges,” which is one factor in the evaluation. It rescinds a 2022 Biden-era rule that excluded non-cash benefits from consideration.
“Under @POTUS Trump, DHS is restoring the basic principle that immigrants must be able to support themselves,” the Department of Homeland Security posted to X on Thursday. “We are reaffirming the requirement of self-reliance, protecting public resources, and ending policies that encouraged dependency on hard-working American taxpayers.”
