The Trump administration is reviving a rule that could deny green cards to illegal immigrants who use public benefits, including food stamps, Medicaid, housing vouchers, and others.
Background
The policy, known as ‘public charge,’ was first implemented in February 2020 as one of President Donald Trump’s moves to limit legal immigration during his first administration. However, it was reversed after Democratic President Joe Biden came to power.
Under the policy, applicants for green cards have to show they wouldn’t be burdens to the country or ‘public charges.’ 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.
The Trump administration first promoted the rule in 2018 as a way to ensure that only those who were self-sufficient came to the U.S. Immigrant rights advocates criticized it, saying it amounted to a ‘wealth test.’ Public health experts said it would lead to worse health outcomes.
Original reporting: NBC Connecticut (Hartford) — read the source article.
