President Trump announced Wednesday night that he will soon ask Congress to pass legislation banning immigrants from accessing public assistance within five years of entering the U.S.
“The time has come for new immigration rules that say ... those seeking immigration into our country must be able to support themselves financially and should not use welfare for a period of at least five years," Trump told a campaign-style rally in Grand Rapids, Iowa.
Trump's proposal would build on the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, which allows federal authorities to deport immigrants who become public dependents within five years of their arrival. Many of that law’s provisions were rolled back during the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, but Trump's proposal would make more categories of federal benefits off-limits to immigrants.
Currently,states typically have the authority to determine eligibility for local public assistance programs.
Foreigners with non-immigrant visas and those who don't have legal status are generally prohibited from those benefits altogether.
Trump's proposal would also prevent the admission of people who are likely to become so-called "public charges" within five years of their arrival. The concept of "public charge" has been part of U.S. immigration law for over a century. It allows the government to bar entry to individuals who are likely to seek public assistance. Trump is expected to propose toughening up the rules regarding “public charge” and ensuring that they are enforced.
The administration circulated a draft executive order to make Trump's proposed changes earlier this year. However, Trump's remarks Wednesday indicated that he wants Congress to codify his plan into law.
In requesting these changes, the White House will cite a 2015 report from the Center for Immigration Studies that found 51 percent of households headed by an immigrant are using some form of public assistance, compared to 30 percent among non-immigrant families. That report has been disputed by critics who say it does not take into account the nuances of many immigrant families.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
This is awesome! I love it. I hope it comes to fruition. My concern is the illegal ones who enter with false IDs and then go on welfare, have anchor babies, etc.
This is awesome! I love it. I hope it comes to fruition. My concern is the illegal ones who enter with false IDs and then go on welfare, have anchor babies, etc.
I thought that anchor babies weren't a thing anymore? The parents can still be deported?
This is awesome! I love it. I hope it comes to fruition. My concern is the illegal ones who enter with false IDs and then go on welfare, have anchor babies, etc.
I thought that anchor babies weren't a thing anymore? The parents can still be deported?
I don't know. I haven't heard anything to the contrary. That's why I posted about it. Perhaps LL knows if having anchor babies no longer applies.
An Obama-era immigration program intended to protect parents of U.S. citizens and legal residents from deportation has been formally cancelled, fulfilling a key campaign promise from President Trump, the Homeland Security Department announced late Thursday.
Homeland Security John Kelly formally revoked a policy memo that created the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans program. The revocation came on the fifth anniversary of another effort that has protected hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation.
The program to protect parents was announced by President Obama in November 2014 but was never fully launched because it was blocked by a federal court, according to Reuters.
It was intended to keep the immigrant parents safe from deportation and provide them with a renewable work permit good for two years, but it was blocked by a federal judge in Texas after 26 states filed suit against the federal government and challenged the effort’s legality.
Republicans decried the effort as “backdoor amnesty” and argued that Obama overstepped his authority by protecting a specific class of immigrants living in the United States illegally.
The protection program for parents, like the one for young immigrants, was created with a policy memo during the Obama administration. Both programs required that participants meet certain conditions, including not having a criminal history. As part of the expansion to protect immigrant parents living in the United States illegally, the Obama administration also sought to provide the young immigrants with work permits good for three years at a time. That provision was also blocked by the Texas judge.
Revoking the memo and ending the stalled program fulfill a key campaign promise by Trump, who pledged to “immediately” cancel both efforts. Trump has not said what he plans to do about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, but so far most immigrants protected by the effort have not been targeted by stepped-up efforts to find and deport immigrants living in the country illegally. As of March 31, about 787,000 young immigrants have been approved for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, according to government data.
Arrests of immigrants in the interior of the country have increased under the Trump administration, but deportations are slightly down as fewer people have been caught crossing the Mexican border into the United States illegally.
Trump has made immigration enforcement a top priority and has vowed to continue a crackdown on those living in U.S. illegally and those trying to sneak into the country.
Reuters reported that Trump previously said that his administration was considering different options.
“They shouldn’t be very worried,” Trump told ABC News in January, referring to DACA recipients. “I do have a big heart.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
Basically, anchor babies are not supposed to protect you, and Obama tried to get the parents protected, but Courts blocked that b/c 26 states filed suit.
But here's the thing - even if the laws are there, they have to be enforced. We have such a HUGE illegal immigration problem, that ICE can't focus on all of them, they have chosen to go after ones that commit additional crimes while here.
And Obama was in charge of enforcement of immigration laws, and he didn't want to deport parents of citizens.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
Yeah, I thought it was just the parents who could be deported - even if the kids were citizens; either the little ones go too, or the ones who are old enough to fend for themselves stay.
Yeah, I thought it was just the parents who could be deported - even if the kids were citizens; either the little ones go too, or the ones who are old enough to fend for themselves stay.
The parents have a choice to take them or leave them. Many arrange guardianships here, but some end up in foster care.
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LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
So here is the thing about welfare, some states allow someone to apply and receive welfare if they self declare they are citizens. They are supposed to provide documentation within a few weeks of the self declaration, but state such as MA doesn't enforce it.
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Sometimes you're the windshield, and sometimes you're the bug.
