Trump administration revives rule that could deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits
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MIAMI — The Trump administration is reviving a rule that could deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits that could include food stamps, Medicaid, housing vouchers and others.
The policy, known as “public charge,” appeared on Thursday in the Federal Register and will be formally published on Monday.
The policy was first implemented in February 2020 as one of President Trump’s moves to limit legal immigration during his first administration, but it was reversed after Democratic President Biden came to power.
Its return comes when the Republican administration is implementing a hard-line policy to curb both illegal and legal immigration, and when the cost of healthcare and food is rising.
The federal government “is reaffirming the requirement of self-reliance, protecting public resources and ending policies that encouraged dependency on the backs of hard-working American taxpayers,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said in a post published on its X account.
“Under President Trump, USCIS is restoring the basic principle that immigrants must be able to support themselves,” the post said.
Under the policy, applicants for green cards have to show they wouldn’t be burdens to the country or “public charges.”
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