The Biden administration has proposed a regulation that would stop future administrations from restoring the Trump-era “public charge” policy regarding immigration.
Reportedly, this can help more illegal immigrants come to the United States in time to come.
Biden to incentivize illegal immigrants once again
Many immigration advocates who blamed Biden for not working on his campaign promise of immigration hailed the announcement.
Although the Trump-era policy was already halted last year, this time, the federal government is moving to make Republicans’ path harder once they get back the government.
A lawyer associated with the National Immigration Law center, Tanya Broder, indicated Trump’s policy made COVID treatment difficult for immigrants who lacked permanent legal status.
Trump introduced the rule in February 2020, at a time when the virus did not reach the United States.
Departing from broad Trump-era rules, the Biden administration today proposed new regulations that would limit the number of public benefits that can weigh against immigrants applying for permanent U.S. residency, or green cards.https://t.co/AkYe2L7wPb
— Camilo Montoya-Galvez (@camiloreports) February 17, 2022
The New York Times reported that Trump’s rule made it difficult for illegal immigrants to get their hands on housing, medicare, and food subsidies.
This he did by expanding the definition of “public charges,” a metric that bars new immigrants from entering the United States if they lack enough financial resources to sustain.
However, a federal court ordered the government to stop this policy in November 2020.
Thus, the definition was reverted last March under the democratic government, encouraging more room to accommodate illegal immigrants at the expense of taxpayers’ interest.
The Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas said on Thursday Trump’s definition of public charges was not consistent with the “historical understanding of the term.”
Mayorkas then noted that now no immigrant would be penalized for accessing health benefits and other governmental services covered under the regulation anymore.
“The forthcoming public charge rule is particularly significant given the enduring chilling effect we have seen among immigrant communities fearful of accessing benefits to which they are entitled,” said @KrishVignarajah of @LIRSorg.
via @esullivannyt https://t.co/lc2tCESQbL
— LIRS (@LIRSorg) February 18, 2022
A senior policy analyst at the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, Julia Gelatt, claimed Biden’s regulation would be “more legally defensible,” meaning courts could not do much to reverse it, as it will reduce the room of judicial interpretation.
Biden’s soft policies made illegal immigration easy
The New York Times noted Trump’s policy instilled fear in immigrants, so even those immigrants who were not supposed to be penalized started avoiding public health facilities.
Another immigration activist Krish O’Mara Vignarajah, who is serving as the CEO of Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, stated Biden’s forthcoming regulation would be helpful for all immigrants who tried to avoid governmental facilities.
Since his inauguration, Biden’s soft heartened policies for immigrants have paved the way for illegal immigration. Last year, the border control authorities arrested over 1.9 million illegal immigrants trying to enter the United States.
Reportedly, the Biden administration helped many immigrants to reach mainland America by conducting flight operations at night.
Not only this, but people belonging to countries from the Middle East have also been caught entering America, which is concerning authorities about rising illegal immigration.
