A proposal being considered by the Department of Homeland Security would scrutinize hundreds of thousands of immigrants who apply for citizenship to determine if they receive public benefits, reports Jezebel.
Such benefits would reportedly include tax credits.
Reuters reports the proposed regulations would greatly expand the definition of public benefits.
Current regulations which have been in place since 1999 specifically bar authorities from considering non-cash benefits such as government pre-school programs or those who receive subsidies for health insurance premiums and utility bills.
“Non-citizens who receive public benefits are not self-sufficient and are relying on the U.S. government and state and local entities for resources instead of their families, sponsors or private organizations,” the proposal states. “An alien’s receipt of public benefits comes at taxpayer expense and availability of public benefits may provide an incentive for aliens to immigrate to the United States.”
In 2016, nearly 400,000 would have been impacted by the proposed standards.
“The administration is committed to enforcing existing immigration law, which is clearly intended to protect the American taxpayer,” Tyler Houlton, a DHS spokesman, said to Reuters. “Any potential changes to the rule would be in keeping with the letter and spirit of the law – as well as the reasonable expectations of the American people for the government to be good stewards of taxpayer funds.”
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RE: immigrants Could be Penalized for Accepting Public Benefits:you should just use the tax credits and never become a citizen. What kind of logic is that! This story is worse than I thought. I hope it gets coverage.