A proposed Trump administration rule would give immigration officers more discretion to deny permanent residency to immigrants lawfully in the country who rely on public benefits, like SNAP or Medicaid.

A U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson said in an email that the revised “public charge” policy follows what it called a “long-standing expectation” that immigrants be self-reliant and that federal government benefits should not incentivize immigration.

In its , the Department of Homeland Security acknowledged that this change may lead to “downstream effects on public health, community stability and resilience,” including worse health outcomes and increased poverty.

Benyamin Chao, health and public benefits policy manager for the , said the change is meant to cause chao

See Full Page