USCIS says policy restores self-reliance requirement
The Trump administration on Thursday revived a rule that could deny green cards to immigrants who use public benefits such as food stamps, Medicaid, and housing vouchers. Under the policy, known as “public charge,” green-card applicants must show they would not be a burden on the country.
The rule appeared Thursday in the Federal Register and is scheduled for formal publication on July 20. It takes effect Sept. 18, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The policy was first implemented in February 2020 during Trump’s first term as part of his push to limit legal immigration. It was reversed after President Joe Biden took office.
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,” USCIS said in a post on its X account. “Under President Trump, USCIS is restoring the basic principle that immigrants must be able to support themselves,” the post said.
The rule is the latest in a series of immigration changes the administration has pursued this year. MSI previously reported that the Trump administration required most green-card applicants to leave the country to apply from abroad, ending a practice in place for more than half a century.