Despite unrelenting attempts by the mainstream media and anti-borders proponents to present President Trump’s efforts to restore law and order in the American immigration system as un-American, economically damaging and even unconstitutional, voters continue to disagree with their narrative.
This was most recently exhibited by the public’s positive response to a speech the president gave in Iowa, where he declared that those wishing to immigrate into the U.S. “must be able to support themselves financially.” He continued by proposing “new immigration rules which say those seeking admission into our country must be able to support themselves financially, and should not use welfare for a period of at least five years.”
An independent-from-the-media polling organization, Rasmussen, which almost perfectly predicted the popular vote in the 2016 election cycle, released survey results indicating that 62 percent of likely voters agreed with the president’s position. Only 26 percent disagreed, with 12 percent undecided.
Both the Hill and CNN were quick to point out that a form of this welfare restriction already exists – the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996. The legislation, signed by former President Bill Clinton, was originally intended to make immigrants ineligible to receive “means-tested public benefits” for a period of five years after they entered the country, among other welfare reforms.
However, as has often been the case with immigration, just because a law is on the books doesn’t mean the federal government will necessarily enforce it. The media conveniently ignores this fact. In fact, the Obama administration systematically dismantled and neutered the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act by exploiting loopholes and simply ignoring other areas of the legislation. In addition, the former president was brazenly open about it, stating, “we’re going to look every single day to figure out what we can do without Congress.”
American voters are still recovering from the worst recession in decades. It’s understandable that they would feel betrayed by the federal government welcoming those immigrants who are unable to support themselves by immediately offering handouts funded by their hard-earned tax dollars. Rather, voters want an immigration system that favors applicants who have demonstrated an ability to further American interests and strengthen our economy.
President Trump wants to tighten legislation in order to protect the fiscal interests of American citizens and working legal residents, and protect those measures from the whims of an out-of-control executive branch. The media should applaud that desire rather than dismiss it as unnecessary.