Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) is attempting to thwart President Joe Biden’s scheme to reopen the border for welfare-dependent migration into the country. The White House wants to reverse Trump-era regulations that increased the difficulty for these foreign nationals to obtain legal entry.
Marshall recently introduced a resolution to block illegal immigrants who are dependent on taxpayer-funded benefits from getting green cards.
Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) has introduced a resolution to block citizenship for illegal immigrants who are dependent on taxpayer-funded benefits. https://t.co/4foT1KmKhx #RogerMarshall #ILLEGALimmigrants
— The Foreign Desk (@ForeignDeskNews) November 23, 2022
His proposal targets a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) protocol trimming the number of benefits received that would disqualify these migrants. A higher number, according to the previous rule, would work against them when applying for permanent U.S. residency.
Former President Donald Trump’s White House in 2019 classified immigrants who obtained at least one benefit for over 12 months within a 36-month period as a “public charge.”
This in turn, according to the DHS website, meant the noncitizen was “inadmissible.”
Included in such benefits are food stamps, Medicaid, and housing vouchers for the immigrants. The proposed changes, however, greatly narrow the limits of disqualification for illegals.
The Biden administration proposal only potentially bumps recipients of cash benefits or long-term institutional treatment.
Marshall defied this change, declaring in a statement that it leads the U.S. “down the dangerous path of incentivizing migrants to illegally cross our southern border.”
The senator noted that Trump clearly signaled to those illegally entering the country that they could expect “no support or citizenship from the American government.” He cited the “invasion” that began with Biden’s inauguration and the need to return to successful policies.
The resolution, which was introduced on Nov. 14, has the support of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). The advocacy group said the proposed change “erodes the integrity of the legal immigration system and sticks it to American taxpayers.”
How so? In 2017, the National Academies of Sciences found that taxpayers at the state and local levels pay approximately $1,600 per year for each immigrant.
The study also found that immigrant households receive one-third more cash welfare than those of U.S. citizens.
For the record, Trump’s Public Charge rule was supported by roughly 60% of Americans. This included 56% of Hispanics surveyed and 71% of Black Americans.
