Immigration Reform: Trump Calls for a Law Restricting Federal Assistance
U.S. President Donald Trump has never played coy about his ideas on putting America first. Recently, he reiterated that vision to an audience in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. And he shared his plans to make that happen.
On Wednesday, June 21, at the "Make America Great Again" rally in Iowa, the U.S. President suggested new immigration rules which, according to him, will safeguard the rights of every American.
"We want to get our people off of welfare and back to work. We also want to preserve our safety net for struggling Americans who truly need help," Trump said.
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To make this vision into a reality, the President plans to cut off support for those "seeking admission into our country." He says that immigrants who want to enter the U.S. "must be able to support themselves financially and should not use welfare for a period of at least five years."
The President, who claims to be interested in such a legislation, must not be aware that laws on benefits of immigrants currently exist.
The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 already carries out the details that Trump mentioned. The law states that immigrants are not entitled to "means-tested" public benefits for a period of five years, which starts upon their entry into the country.
The law, however, exempts certain groups, particularly refugees, asylees, military veterans, as well as active military personnel, their spouses, and children.
On the other hand, Trump has succeeded with his much-desired immigration travel ban, which has recently been put into effect.
In addition, his administration plans to scrap former President Obama's proposed start-up visa. It allows foreign entrepreneurs who are establishing a business in the country temporary admission. They are also entitled to receive investment from U.S. investors.
So far, Trump has yet to share his plans for these visa programs. In April, the President issued an executive order to review these programs, particularly ones that allow U.S. companies to hire foreign workers.
More updates should arrive soon.
