Imagine that … accepting immigrants who can support themselves, as opposed to those likely to be dependent on public assistance.
The Trump administration announced Saturday immigrants who use public benefits like food stamps and Section 8 housing vouchers could be denied green cards under a new proposed rule, according to Fox News.
With millions of poor immigrants currently on public assistance, as reported in The New York Times, the new policy appears to be overdue, but according to Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen, it’s just an extension of longstanding policy.
“Under long-standing federal law, those seeking to immigrate to the United States must show they can support themselves financially,” Nielson said in a statement to the Washington Post.
The proposal calls for legal immigrants to be denied permanent residency if they’ve received or are likely to receive public assistance, which Nielson said will “promote immigrant self-sufficiency and protect finite resources by ensuring that they are not likely to become burdens on American taxpayers.”
Green card applicants are required by federal law to prove they will not be a “public charge,” but the proposal would expand the number programs that could disqualify them, Fox News reported.
The move is also consistent with President Donald Trump’s belief in a merit-based immigration system based on job skills.
And while logic may dictate that it’s common sense to keep out those who will be a drain on the public treasure, the liberal New York Times stated that “the move could force millions of poor immigrants who rely on public assistance for food and shelter to make a difficult choice between accepting financial help and seeking a green card to live and work legally in the United States.”
Or, in other words, be self-reliant.
Count on fierce resistance from Democrats and their media allies, who are sure to make it about race, as these changes could reportedly affect the more than 600,000 “Dreamers” participating in the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Hans von Spakovsky, a senior fellow with the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the U.S. has a right to be selective about who is allowed to become citizens.
“We can be choosy about who we allow into the country,” he said, according to Fox News. “One of the primary factors ought to be ensuring that the legal immigrants who come in are people who can financially support themselves.”
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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