A child looks up at federal immigration officers as her father is detained at the U.S. immigration court in the Manhattan borough of New York City July 25, 2025.
Immigrants applying for green cards could again be denied for using Medicaid, food stamps and housing assistance, under a new rule issued by the Trump administration Thursday that could have a deterrent effect on families.
An immigration law meant to avoid immigrants becoming a “public charge,” primarily dependent on government services, has been in place for decades. Following guidance issued in 1999, immigration officers could deny green cards if immigrants were subsistent on cash assistance and long-term government-funded institutional care only. In 2019, the previous Trump administration opened up scrutiny of other benefits like Medicaid, food stamps and housing, which was later rescinded in 2022 under the Biden administration.
The new rule goes into effect in September, and applies only to immigrants applying for green cards. In justifying the rule, the Department of Homeland Security said immigrants “should be self-sufficient, i.e., rely on their own capabilities and resources of their family, sponsors, and private organizations, rather than depending on public resources.”
Immigrant rights advocates have long warned that such a rule could discourage other immigrants and even some U.S. citizens from applying for health insurance and other benefits for which they are eligible. When a similar rule was passed in 2019, California school officials and nonprofit organizations warned that many immigrant families were afraid to apply for benefits. An estimated 1 in 5 California children live in “mixed-status” families, in which at least one family member is not a U.S. citizen.
In its November 2025 proposal, the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that the changes could create a “chilling effect,” and estimated that about 950,000 people in immigrant households might disenroll from public benefits.
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
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