{"id":17654,"date":"2018-09-26T09:00:45","date_gmt":"2018-09-26T13:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/live-immigrationreform.pantheonsite.io\/?p=17654"},"modified":"2018-12-28T09:49:28","modified_gmt":"2018-12-28T14:49:28","slug":"grossly-mischaracterizing-the-public-charge-proposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2018\/09\/26\/grossly-mischaracterizing-the-public-charge-proposal\/","title":{"rendered":"Grossly Mischaracterizing the Public Charge Proposal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unsurprisingly, the stridently pro-illegal-alien Los Angeles Times<\/em><\/a> is criticizing the Trump administration\u2019s proposed new public charge rule. But the \u00a0Times<\/em> mischaracterizes<\/a> the proposed rule, stating that government officials would now have, \u201cbroad power to reject people whom they believe might someday in the future tap government programs for financial support.\u201d<\/p>\n

In reality, immigration officers already have the authority to reject any aliens who appear to be unable to support themselves or their dependents. And they have, since the birth of the Republic. The first public charge laws were enacted by the Massachusetts legislature when the Bay State was still a colony.\u00a0 And the first comprehensive federal immigration law\u2014enacted by Congress on August 3, 1882\u2014 included a bar against the admission of \u201cany person unable to take care of himself or herself without becoming a public charge.\u201d In fact, until the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, most admissibility determinations based on an alien\u2019s ability to earn a living in the United States.<\/p>\n

The Trump administration\u2019s rule would simply clarify<\/a> longstanding law, which already allows:<\/p>\n