Trump revives his plan to deny permanent residency in the U.S. for use of public programs

Los Angeles.- The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has revived its controversial policy of denying permanent residency to applicants deemed likely to become a “public charge,” after overturning the limits imposed by the administration of his predecessor, Joe Biden (2021-2025).

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), announced this Thursday that it is rescinding the 2022 public charge rule, which allows immigration authorities to deny entry to the U.S. or the granting of the well-known ‘green card’ to a foreigner they consider will become an economic burden to the country.

The Biden administration (2021-2025) relaxed a ban imposed by Trump in his first term (2017-2021), placing limits on USCIS regarding the public benefits that were taken into account for a public charge.

Permanent residence in the U.S.

Since November of last year, the Trump Administration announced the rule with which USCIS officials “are empowered to evaluate all relevant facts” on a case-by-case basis for each applicant, the agency highlighted in a statement.

“The Trump administration is upholding the rule of law and protecting American taxpayers from subsidizing aliens who may become dependent on public benefits,” stated Zach Kahler, a spokesperson for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The regulation will come into effect on September 18th.

Trump’s veto

In his first expansion of the public charge regulation, Trump barred immigrants who had requested social assistance for food, housing, or healthcare, such as the public Medicaid program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which left many undocumented individuals unable to qualify for permanent residency and receive aid for their American children.

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Immigrant advocates have expressed fear about the havoc that the new expansion of this policy will cause in the low-income undocumented community and especially in mixed-status families, as those that have at least one U.S. citizen member are known.

USCIS has stated that it will publish a revised version of the application form to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (I-485).