Trump's innovation: immigrants and their sponsors will have to reimburse the government money for social assistance received

US President Donald Trump took 23 on May another step that could complicate the lives of legal immigrants by instructing government agencies to enforce the 23 law last year, requiring green card holders to reimburse social security benefits received by these immigrants to the government.

Фото: Depositphotos

On Thursday, Trump approved a memorandum on the introduction of two provisions, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, writes USA Today.

These provisions were part of the Law on Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility (IIRIRA) and the Social Security Reform Act of 1996 of the Year, which were signed by then-President Bill Clinton, but notwithstanding federal law, this rule does not apply.

Under these provisions, each prospective sponsor of an immigrant would be required to sign an affidavit outlining its financial responsibilities to the sponsored immigrant and establishing a mechanism for the government to obtain funds from the sponsor if necessary. The Department of Health and Human Services must collect data on donors, immigrants and benefits they receive, and the Treasury must collect funds.

On the subject: Immigrants are afraid to use social benefits in the US, for fear of losing the green card

“To protect American citizens' benefits, immigrants must be financially independent,” Trump said when announcing the changes.

Critics say such presidential actions unfairly punish low-income immigrants, who sometimes need help to get started in the US. But the White House objects that too many immigrants enjoy the generosity of the American government, pointing out that 58% of all non-citizen-headed households use at least one social program in the United States.

Human rights activists Marielena Hinkape, executive director of the National Center for Immigration Law, and Olivia Golden, executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy, condemned this idea of ​​Trump as "cruel, reckless, dangerous and inhuman."

“Trump will do everything he can to send a message to immigrant families that if you are not white and rich, you are not welcome here and you are not even safe here. And he doesn’t care that children and entire families will suffer in this process,” said a statement from the lawyers, who are also co-chairs of the Campaign to Protect Immigrant Families.

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In 2018, representatives of the presidential administration announced their intention to apply the law, requiring immigrants to "prove that they can support themselves financially." According to the US Department of Homeland Security, more than 60% of green cards are issued on the basis of family ties, so the education and financial capabilities of the immigrants who received them are practically not evaluated.

White House officials did not respond to a request for comment regarding the new policy. The White House did not submit the memorandum itself, promulgating only a newsletter setting out its provisions. It is unclear how many people will be affected by this innovation.

Фото: Depositphotos

The United States annually issues green cards to about 1 to a million foreigners.

The decision taken by 23 in May is the latest in a series of efforts by the presidential administration to limit state benefits that legal and illegal immigrants can receive.

In October 2018, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed new guidelines for assessing whether immigrants can be considered a "public charge". This status will deprive them of the right to become permanent residents of the United States, that is, to receive a green card.

The current definition of “social burden” states that it is a person who “depends on state aid as the main source of income”. This means that the “public burden” is those for whom monetary assistance from the state accounts for more than half of the income, or those who receive long-term medical care at public expense.

The new definition proposed by DHS, which has not yet gone into effect, would significantly expand the definition of a “public charge” to include any immigrant who receives even small amounts of government assistance. This includes “non-cash” benefits such as use of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (known as food stamps), Medicare, non-emergency Medicaid, and rental assistance.

On the subject: Key facts about US immigration policy and Trump's innovations

An attempt to limit housing assistance shook the Congress in May 2019, when the head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson, appeared before the House Committee of Representatives with a plan forevicting illegal immigrants and their children born in the United States from subsidized housing. Currently, families with mixed immigration status are eligible for subsidized housing if at least one family member is a US citizen. The agency wants only those families to be eligible for such benefits. the composition of which there are no illegal

Carson justifies this idea by saying that the United States must “take care of its own first.”

“It's not that we are cruel or stingy. The thing is, we’re logical,” Carson said.

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