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Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen delivers a speech at the National Summit on Cyber Security in New York on July 31, 2018.
(Associated Press)
Immigrants in the United States who depend too much on public support may soon find it more difficult to stay in the country.
In a 447-page proposal posted online Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security is asking immigrants to be denied permanent residence if they have received or are likely to receive benefits such as food stamps, Medicaid or gift certificates. housing.
"Under a long-standing federal law, those seeking to immigrate to the United States must show that they can provide for their financial needs," said DHS Secretary, Kirstjen Nielsen, in a statement. communicated to the Washington Post.
"Under long-standing federal law, those seeking to immigrate to the United States must show that they can support themselves financially."
The proposed changes "would promote self-sufficiency for immigrants and protect limited resources by ensuring that they do not risk becoming a burden on US taxpayers," Nielsen said.
President Trump said he wanted to replace the current immigration system with a merit based system based on professional skills.
The federal law already requires green card applicants to prove that they will not be a burden – or a "public office" – but the proposal will expand the number of programs that could disqualify them.
Under the rule, green card denials can be issued if an immigrant receives government benefits up to 15% of the poverty line – $ 1,821 for an individual and $ 3,765 for a family of four .
DHS will allow 60 days for the public to comment on the proposal prior to publication in the Federal Register. Subsequently, the agency will make changes based on public comments before publishing a final rule. The agency anticipates court challenges to any changes, reported the Post.
If adopted, the changes would affect immigration visa applicants or those with temporary residence who wish to remain in the country, and could reach the more than 600,000 DACA (Deferred Action for Children) participants. "Program – they file an application for permanent residence, according to the Post.
The proposal would have little effect on undocumented immigrants or foreigners seeking a "temporary protection status" to remain in the United States after a natural disaster or armed conflict in their home country.
Critics view this measure as a new attempt to restrict legal immigration and force low-income families to choose between receiving public support or staying in the United States.
"It would force families – including citizen children – to choose between getting the help they need and staying in their community," said Diane Yentel, chair of the National Coalition on Low Income Housing. "The last thing the federal government should do is punish families who are going through hard times to feed their children or keep a roof over their head and avoid homelessness."
Some immigrants have already decided to give up benefits for fear of being deported.
Post reported that 3.7% of the 41.5 million immigrants living in the United States received cash benefits in 2013 and 22.7% received other forms of assistance such as Medicaid, housing subsidies or home heating assistance.
The percentage of native-born Americans receiving the same forms of assistance in 2015 was almost identical.
The changes could increase disparities in health insurance rates between children with native-born parents and those with immigrant parents.
The timing of the proposal, as well as the announcement earlier this week that the administration will not admit more than 30,000 refugees in the coming fiscal year, could undermine the Republican party's base.
"We can be reluctant about what we allow to enter the country," said Hans von Spakovsky, a prominent member of the conservative Heritage Foundation. "One of the key factors should be to ensure that legal immigrants who enter are people who can support themselves."
Associated Press contributed to this story.
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