On Monday, August 12, the Trump Administration announced one if its most aggressive moves toward restricting legal immigration.
The new rules could deny green cards to immigrants who use Medicaid, food stamps, housing vouchers or other forms of public assistance.
Federal law already requires those seeking green cards and legal status to prove they will not be a burden to the U.S., or what's called a "public charge," but the new rules detail a broader range of programs that could disqualify them.
Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton released his statement on changes to the "public charge" immigration rule Monday evening:
"Immigration ought to benefit, not burden, America. The administration's modernization of the 'public charge' rule will help accomplish this reasonable goal so that immigrants don't become burdens on the community, take benefits from struggling Americans, or harm our generous system of assistance for refugees and asylees. This reform is a promising step toward a sensible, skills-based immigration system that admits immigrants who are prepared to seize opportunity, not handouts."