South Florida immigration activists react to new green card rules
- by Lorene Schwartz
- in People
- — Aug 13, 2019
The Trump administration finalized a new change Monday that could make it more hard for low-income immigrants legally in the United States to stay, through enforcement of the so-called "public charge" rule. At that time, immigrants submitting new applications for a green card or citizenship would be penalized for enrolling in public benefits, with certain exceptions made for active-duty military, their families and children. Those migrants in the United States who are found likely to become public charges will also be barred from adjusting their immigration status, the White House said.
It will be up to those officials to make a determination if someone will end up needing government assistance after arriving in the U.S. Green card applicants already in the U.S. can appeal a decision to a federal court, but those applying from outside the country don't have any legal recourse to challenge a denial, Sandweg says.
While the Trump administration has said that its rule change would not affect non-U.S. citizens who are already permanent residents in the USA, researchers found evidence of a "chilling effect" even among that group.
The policy change could affect over a million green card and visa holders in the U.S. and many millions more immigration applicants overseas. They know they don't have an asylum case. This is racist policy. Large numbers of non-citizens and their families have taken advantage of its generous public benefits, limited resources that could otherwise go to vulnerable Americans, it said.
It will encourage "self-reliance and self-sufficiency for those seeking to come to or stay in the United States", said acting US Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli, appearing in the White House briefing room.
Cuccinelli said that the new standards would be used to judge non-citizen residents who use public services repeatedly after October 15, 2019. The definition of public benefits is cash aide including Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), most forms of Medicaid, and a variety of public housing programs, the fact sheet said.
Immigration groups have also expressed concern that the rule will have a chilling effect, causing immigrants to decide not to seek necessary assistance even if the rule does not apply to them or only applies to some household members.
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In a Monday statement, the group calls the new rule an attempt to redefine the legal immigration system "in order to disenfranchise communities of color and favor the wealthy".
In May, Trump announced a broad plan for immigration "that protects American wages, promotes American values, and attracts the best and brightest from all around the world".
As many as 78 per cent of households headed by a non-citizen with no more than a high school education use at least one welfare program. "We have a long history of being one of the most welcoming nations in the world", Cuccinelli said.
The National Immigration Law Center tweeted that the rule is "a race motivated wealth test" and said, "We WILL fight back".
"The Department of Homeland Security's newly-finalized regulation means that if you're not white & not wealthy, you're not welcome in the U.S.", tweeted United We Dream.
"This news is a cruel new step toward weaponizing programs that are meant to help people", said Marielena Hincapie, NILC executive director. "It will have a dire humanitarian impact, forcing some families to forego critical life-saving healthcare and nutrition".
