12th August 2019

Trump administration makes it easier to deny green cards to immigrants

[apss_share]

By NY Post

NY Post - The Trump administration announced a rule change Monday that will allow federal officials to deny green cards to immigrants considered likely to rely on government aid like food stamps, housing assistance or Medicaid.

“The principle driving it is an old American value, and that’s self-sufficiency,” Ken Cuccinelli, the acting director of Citizenship and Immigration Services, told Fox News in an interview. “It’s a core principle — the American Dream itself — and it’s one of the things that distinguishes us, and it’s central to the legal history in the US back into the 1800s.”

The updated rule will go into effect in October and will define “public charge,” a longtime part of immigration law that ensures immigrants are self-sufficient, as someone who receives one or more benefits for more than 12 months in a 36-month period.

“It will also have the long-term benefit of protecting taxpayers by ensuring people who are immigrating to this country don’t become public burdens, that they can stand on their own two feet, as immigrants in years past have done,” Cuccinelli said. “It’s not only a recipe for their success, but for America’s success growing out of our immigration system.”

[apss_share]