Written by Nicholas Vetrisek
Illegal immigrants are reeling from the new rule being put in place by the Trump administration which essentially states that it will be more difficult for them to receive green cards if they have relied on government services such as food stamps or Medicaid. As a result of this new rule, many families have chosen to avoid using government services. This is wonderful news.
The Public Charge Rule is being panned in the media and according to Erica Hellerstein of the Times of San Diego, it “is sowing confusion and fear within the immigrant community, causing many people to abandon programs they need for fear of retaliation from immigration authorities.” That sounds horrible on the surface until you realize one thing: that’s not the government’s problem.
Illegal immigrants are, by definition, criminals. They subverted the legal immigration system using a (very likely false) claim of asylum and made a mockery of the people that actually went through the process to become citizens. They shouldn’t even be in the country, much less be taking advantage of free benefits.
The system makes it so applicants for green cards have to prove they will not be a public charge. This makes sense given the fact that if someone is entering a country, their presence should actually benefit the country as opposed to simply being a drain on the economy.
As a result of the fear this program is causing, many illegal immigrants have simply chosen to stop using government programs altogether. It is estimated that 765,000 people will quit Medicaid and Cal Fresh. There are still millions more to go, but that’s progress.
Bizarrely enough, this is causing a chain reaction that is making legal immigrants opt-out too. It has the potential to cause up to 4.7 million people to withdraw from Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, according to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation. This is good news because it eases the heavy burden on the healthcare system.
This is an excellent policy for the nation, and when combined with the border wall and asylum deals with Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, it will go a long way to solving the illegal immigration crisis.
Photo by Lucas Sankey
