The Trump administration is reviving the 'public charge' rule that can deny green cards to immigrants who use benefits like SNAP, Medicaid, and housing vouchers.
The original 1882 Immigration Act barred any 'person unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge' from entering the U.S.
The Biden administration's 2022 public charge rule limited disqualifying benefits to cash assistance and long-term institutional care, excluding SNAP and Medicaid.
The Migration Policy Institute estimated Trump's first-term public charge rule could have affected roughly 24 million noncitizens and their family members living in the U.S.
USCIS reported chilling effects during Trump's first term, with immigrant families disenrolling from Medicaid and SNAP even when legally eligible.