The Trump administration is trying to make it harder for immigrants to obtain visas or green cards if they've legally used certain public benefits.

The Department of Homeland Security announced a new proposed rule Saturday that would target immigrants who have used programs like Medicare, housing assistance, and food stamps.

The Trump administration argued that the rules would protect American taxpayers, while immigration advocates argued that it could prompt families to go hungry or forego medical treatment.



The Trump administration announced Saturday it intends to make it harder for immigrants to obtain visas or green cards if they've used public benefits like Medicare, housing assistance, or food stamps.

The Department of Homeland Security released the text of a proposed rule that would essentially broaden current limitations on green cards for immigrants who have been deemed a "public charge," meaning an immigrant the government deems are a burden to taxpayers without contributing to the economy.

The new proposal singles out particular non-cash benefits — such as food stamps, the Medicare Part D Low Income Subsidy and Section 8 housing vouchers — as ones that immigrants could be denied visas or green cards for using.

Though rumors and drafts of the new rule have been circulating throughout the media since February, Saturday is the first time the Department of Homeland Security publicly detailed the proposal.

"Under long-standing federal law, those seeking to immigrate to the United States must show they can support themselves financially," Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement. "This proposed rule will implement a law passed by Congress intended to promote immigrant self-sufficiency and protect finite resources by ensuring that they are not likely to become burdens on American taxpayers."

Under the current rules dating back to 1999, a public charge is an immigrant who uses or has previously used cash welfare programs like Supplemental Security Income, and who may either be elderly, sick with an illness requiring expensive treatment, low-income, low-skilled, or with few family members to provide support.

But the new rules the Trump administration is proposing would also consider usage of popular non-cash programs.

Immigration advocates and union leaders have condemned the rule proposal, saying it targets working families and could harm both immigrant and American children.

"If this proposal is finalized, it could force families to forego needed healthcare or go hungry or become homeless in exchange for the opportunity of becoming a green card holder in the future," SEIU International president Mary Kay Henry said in a statement. "Parents will have to choose between taking their children to the doctor or being able to watch their children grow and remain together as a family."