Most immigrants come to America to achieve their dreams of finding long-awaited success. However, the Trump administration’s newly defined rule on who falls into the category of a “public charge” will crush the hopes of starting a new life for many immigrants.  

A public charge is anyone who might  become a burden to the government if granted a Green Card, the pathway to citizenship. With this law, if new immigrants accept government aid like food stamps, subsidized housing or Medicaid, they will have a higher chance of being denied a Green Card. 

Many immigrants already face obstacles when trying to gain residency in the U.S. Instead of trying to streamline and expedite the process, the Trump Administration is making the process of obtaining a Green Card even more difficult. 

Trump’s new policy punishes  low-income immigrants by prioritizing wealth to determine who qualifies for a Green Card. Filtering out low income families is a type of discrimination, since the administration is weeding out the poor and letting in the rich. 

This is wrong because people should be given the chance to make a better life for themselves once they enter a new country, not judged before they even set foot in the country. 

The new public charge rule turns government aid into a double-edged sword: families can accept the help and live a more stable life, but they are forced to put their hopes for citizenship on the line. This is extremely ironic since government aid is supposed to help immigrants, not make their future more uncertain.

 Many low-income families may reject government aid in order to not be considered a public charge. Turning away the help could be detrimental to their health and will weaken the relations between the government and the  potential citizens of the U.S. 

The government justifies its new policy by stating that they only want self-sufficient people immigrating to the United States. Administration officials emphasized that the money for these government programs comes from tax dollars and, they believe, should not be going to recent immigrants.

However, turning away millions of immigrants who may need to accept government aid is not the moral solution for getting rid of potential burdens.