Democrats Demand More Migrants on Welfare as Trump Vows to End the Handouts

President Donald Trump is invoking a 144-year-old law to ensure that any immigrants allowed into the United States will contribute to the national economy rather than draining public resources – but dozens of Democrat states and cities are suing to stop him, again proving that their first loyalty is to foreigners rather than American citizens.

A new Trump administration rule set to take effect this Friday will give federal immigration officers greater discretion to deny green cards and admission to immigrants who are either on welfare or deemed likely to become dependent on taxpayer-funded public assistance. The rule rescinds a 2022 Biden-era regulation that significantly narrowed how the government could apply the longstanding “public charge” provision of federal immigration law.

Under the new framework, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers can consider an applicant’s receipt of means-tested public benefits, along with factors such as age, health, financial resources, education, and employment prospects, as part of a case-by-case assessment of whether that person is likely to become a burden on taxpayers.

This new rule is simply common sense: someone who wants to become a U.S. citizen should show reasonable promise that he or she can contribute to the economy rather than becoming a burden on the taxpayer. The change is long overdue and has become particularly urgent in light of shocking revelations about widespread fraud rings in places like Minneapolis, where individuals of mostly Somali origin have defrauded the public to the tune of billions of dollars.

According to a 2024 study, a shocking 53 percent of households headed by immigrants (naturalized citizens, legal residents, and illegal aliens) use at least one major welfare program. Among illegal alien-headed households, the Center for Immigration Studies estimates that 61 percent are on welfare.

That figure is even higher among some specific immigrant groups. While figures vary, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) reported that an astonishing 81 percent of Somali-headed households in Minnesota are on welfare. Even after being in the United States for 10 years, that number only drops to 78 percent, strongly suggesting that the vast majority of Somali households are simply a drain on public resources indefinitely.

According to a chart shared by President Trump, 75 percent of migrants from Yemen are on welfare, along with 68 percent from the Dominican Republic, 66 percent from the Congo, and 56 percent from Guatemala.

Congress first incorporated a federal public-charge restriction into immigration law in the Immigration Act of 1882, which barred the admission of individuals considered likely to become public charges. Today, that authority is contained principally in Section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which provides that an immigrant deemed “likely at any time to become a public charge” is inadmissible.

Each time Congress has had the opportunity to renew the public-charge rule through successive rewrites of the nation’s immigration laws, it has done so.

As CNN explained:

“Historically, immigration officers counted only cash benefits, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or Supplemental Security Income from Social Security, in their evaluations. But the Trump administration’s pending change does not specify which safety net programs should be considered – meaning non-cash benefits like Medicaid and housing vouchers can be.”

In other words, Trump is not creating a new immigration restriction from scratch. His administration is merely changing how the executive branch interprets and applies a public-charge restriction that Congress has maintained in federal immigration law for generations.

But that hasn’t stopped Democrats from engaging in a full-on meltdown, complete with a flood of legal challenges to block the rule change. At least 22 Democrat state attorneys general have filed a lawsuit, along with several city governments – led by New York City’s Zohran Mamdani.

The critics of Trump’s rule change claim that it is intentionally cruel and intended to have a “chilling” effect on immigrants by forcing them to second-guess whether accepting public benefits will jeopardize their chances of becoming a citizen.

But most Americans are likely shocked to learn that individuals on welfare can be granted citizenship in the first place. The United States should not and cannot be the food pantry of the world. Productive, taxpaying citizens are already asked to shoulder an enormous load to maintain critical infrastructure, fund welfare and entitlements for American citizens, and pay for the nation’s defense – as well as the defense of many other nations around the world.

The idea that the government would import tens of millions of foreigners who immediately turn around with their hands out is a total slap in the face to taxpaying citizens and the very idea of American sovereignty. But that is exactly what has been happening for decades, and it is what Democrats want to continue happening indefinitely – for the simple reason that importing more public charges means more obedient future voters totally reliant on government handouts.

Trump is right to end this great ripoff. Democrats, meanwhile, have once again proven that their first loyalty is to anyone but the American people.