MIAMI (AP) — The Trump administration is bringing back a policy that could prevent immigrants from obtaining green cards if they have relied on public assistance programs such as food stamps, Medicaid, or housing vouchers.
The policy, referred to as the “public charge” rule, appeared in the Federal Register on Thursday and is scheduled for formal publication on July 20. It will officially go into effect on September 18, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The rule was originally put in place in February 2020 during President Donald Trump’s first term as part of efforts to restrict legal immigration. When Democratic President Joe Biden took office, the policy was reversed.
Under the rule, those applying for green cards must demonstrate that they would not become financially dependent on the government — what the policy terms a “public charge.”
The policy’s return comes as the Republican administration pursues aggressive efforts to reduce both illegal and legal immigration, even as the costs of food and healthcare continue to climb across the country.
“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,” U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services wrote 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 agency added.
While much of the administration’s immigration crackdown has centered on deportations and enforcement operations in cities, at the border, and at ports of entry, it has also pursued measures that affect legal immigrants and families of mixed immigration status.
Federal law has long required applicants for permanent residency to show they will not become a public charge. However, the Trump administration’s version of the rule expands the list of programs that could disqualify an applicant.
The administration first pushed the rule in 2018, framing it as a means of ensuring that only self-sufficient individuals would come to the United States. Immigrant rights advocates pushed back, calling it a “wealth test,” while public health experts warned it could lead to worse health outcomes for immigrant communities.
Advocacy organizations have noted that the policy created widespread confusion and fear, prompting many immigrants — and even their U.S.-born family members — to avoid applying for benefits and services they were legally entitled to receive.
