Earlier this week, acting Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Ken Cuccinelli announced that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will be implementing a new interpretation of a long-standing provision aimed at deporting legal immigrants deemed by immigration officials as “liable to become a public charge.”
Under the new final rule published in the Federal Register on Wednesday, receiving SNAP benefits (a.k.a. food stamps), most forms of Medicaid, Section 8 Housing Assistance and other federal benefits will count as negative factors in an immigration officer’s consideration of applications for visa renewal, legal permanent residency (a.