Trump Administration Creates New Standards for Immigration

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On the Statue of Liberty is a poem welcoming immigrants to America. Some believe this poem excludes those coming to live purposely on American welfare. They are both right and wrong. Context is everything. Considering the time the poem was placed on the Statue of Liberty, people were running from Europe to start a new life. There was essentially no welfare in America back then, and if living in America was the goal, the means were to work and provide for the family. Nowadays, the blessing of welfare presents itself to do both good and ill. If there are those who want to escape from tyranny by fleeing to America, by all means do so. However, the only way to do so honorably is to work and provide for the family. Now that the Immigration Administration has released a new rule making it harder for immigrants suspected of meaning to live on American welfare to obtain a green card, many people are upset because they believe we deny what we advertise. The author presents both sides of this argument, though not extremely clearly.
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Miller, one of the administration's strongest immigration opponents, downplayed the poem's importance.
The Trump admin.'s new "public charge" rule restricts entrance of low-income immigrants if they are deemed likely to rely on welfare.
"The new rule is set to go into effect October 15."
During the CBS News Radio interview, Steven Portnoy asked Cuccinelli if he stood by the words on the SOL.
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First Published: 08/17/2019 09:08:04 pm
Last Updated: 11/30/-0001 12:00:00 am
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Cuccinelli emended the famous words of the Statue of Liberty (SOL) in an interview Tuesday, after the new rule was released.
Rachel Martin is from the Nation Public Radio (NPR).
Early Tuesday, Martin asked Cuccinelli if he agreed that the graven words on the SOL are part of the American ethos.
The 1st U.S. public charge law was codified in 1882.
"The New Colossus," Lazarus' poem, was writing in 1883.
The plaque of Lazarus' poem was not cast on the SOL until 1903.
Former Representative Beto O'Rourke is a possible 2020 Democratic presidential from El Paso, Texas.
Portnoy asked if the sentiment – "Give us your tired, your poor" – was still operative in the U.S., or if they should come down.
Other Trump admin. officers have been previously challenged about the SOL poem after announcing immigration restrictions.
In August 2017, senior advisor Stephen Miller was asked about the poem.
Miller had recently promoted a skills based immigration proposal, evaluating people based on education level, language ability, and other factors.
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Cuccinelli said the USA will only welcome immigrants who can "stand on their own two feet" and "not become a public charge."
Later, Cuccinelli added that the poem referred to "people coming from Europe."
"Uh, they certainly are," Cuccinelli replied.
"Give me your tired and your poor who can stand on their own two feet and who will not become a public charge," Cuccinelli said.
Cuccinelli claimed the U.S. engraved Lazarus' poem on the SOL at "almost the same time" that the U.S. passed its 1st "public charge" rule for immigration.
Cuccinelli called this fact "very interesting timing."
Cuccinelli did not get his timing exactly right.
Cuccinelli said it was about people from European class based societies where people were considered wretched when not in the right class.
O'Rourke tweeted that the "Administration finally admitted what we've known all along: They think the SL only applies to white people."
It is a "substantial expansion" of America's longstanding "public charge" laws.
Studies by the Urban Institute say "millions of American-born children of immigrants will be affected by the new rule."
The Urban Institute also says it could lead to families rejecting benefits they need from fear of its hurting their immigration status.
Cuccinelli replied that he was certainly not prepared to take anything down from the SOL.
Miller, one of the administration's strongest immigration opponents, downplayed the poem's importance.
Miller said the SOL is a symbol of American liberty enlightening the world.
Miller said the poem was added later, not being a part of the original SOL.
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Date Published: 11/30/-0001 12:00:00 am
Date Accessed: 11/30/-0001 12:00:00 am
Article Author: Jason Silverstein
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Doug Rand worked on immigration policy in the Obama White House, co-founding a technology company helping immigrants obtain green cards.
This new public charge rule denies green cards to immigrants deemed likely to use welfare heavily.
Immigrants seeking permanent U.S. residence include engineers, construction workers, web designers, farmers, truck drivers, or college students.
Cuccinelli is the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Cuccinelli made this statement on NPR's "Morning Edition."
Beto O'Rourke is a former democratic congressman near the border of West Texas and is running for president.
Steamship lines faced fines if they were caught transporting them to the U.S.
Later, legal immigrant workers from Mexico and China faced similar scrutiny.
Opinion (29)
The Trump administration said the recently passed new rule will ensure new legal residents carrying their own weight, without prejudice or favor.
Though the new rule alleviates taxpayers, it crushes the poor from Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia.
Over time, researchers predict those granted green cards (a step towards citizenship) will become wealthier, but decrease in number.
Better educated immigrants with some self-sufficiency will probably get more green cards.
Fewer green cards will be granted just because someone has a family member in the U.S.
"Immigrants from Europe and Canada are least likely to face problems" under the new rule, according to one study.
Contrastingly, nearly three-fourths of immigrants from Mexico and the Caribbean have modest incomes, jeopardizing their chance of a green card.
Doug Rand: “Never before in our history have we closed off the American dream to strivers who aren’t already middle class,”
Rand said this is an attempt to go back in time and "dramatically change the face of new Americans."
This public charge rule represents a fundamental shift in a nation that historically welcomes impoverished immigrants seeking opportunity.
Immigrants have always either had skills and investment, or little education or money.
Stephen Miller considered the new rule as a "critical piece" of Trump's America 1st immigration agenda.
This new rule aims to reshape the immigrant community.
Supporters of the new rule want fewer poor people who might require public housing and food assistance.
The same supporters want to reject sick people whose sickness may require costly government-paid Medicaid services.
The same supporters want to discourage amateur English speakers who could hold them back from success in a competitive economy.
Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II bluntly said to give him your tired and poor who can "stand on their own two feet" and "will not become a public charge."
In making this statement, Cuccinelli adapted the poem on the Statue of Liberty to a more "Trumpian" view of the country's duty toward immigrants.
CNN later asked Cuccinelli if the Statue of Liberty's historical invitation to the "wretched, poor" was now invalid.
Cuccinelli clarified the poem referred to people from Europe used to class-based society, where those in the wrong class were considered wretched.
O'Rourke said on Twitter that the administration finally admitted what they knew all along: they think the "Statue of Liberty only applies to white people."
"Admitting productive, self-reliant people has long been the objective of America's immigration policy."
The Immigration Act of 1891 was one of the country's first moves to regulate entry into the country.
It permitted the deportation of people deemed burdensome on the public purse.
It mentioned "idiots, insane persons, paupers, or persons likely to become a public charge."
At Ellis Island, arrivals inspected and deemed unfit by public health officials were returned to their own country.
From the beginning, Trump demanded an immigration system based on "merit" that favors high-skilled workers over family connections.
Trump mused why the U.S. doesn't take more people from countries like Norway.
Trump complained about taking immigrants from "s***hole" countries in Africa or Haiti, "wracked by natural disasters."
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Date Published: 11/30/-0001 12:00:00 am
Date Accessed: 11/30/-0001 12:00:00 am
Article Author: Michael D. Shear, Miriam Jordan and Caitlin Dickerson
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