Washington: The Biden administration has proposed removing Trump-era hurdles that restrict non-citizens from accessing public health benefits and other government services, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a press release on Thursday.
“Under the proposed rule, DHS proposes to define ‘likely at any time to become a public charge’ as ‘likely to become primarily dependent on the government for subsistence,'” the release said.
The proposed rule change would provide fair and humane treatment for noncitizens requesting admission to the United States and also apply to noncitizens who are applying for lawful permanent residence from within the United States, the DHS added.
“Under this proposed rule, we will return to the historical understanding of the term ‘public charge’ and individuals will not be penalized for choosing to access the health benefits and other supplemental government services available to them,” Secretary for Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in the release.
In 2019, the Trump administration expanded the interpretation of the term “public charge” and the types of public benefits considered, causing many noncitizens to be fearful of accessing benefits that Congress intended them to have, including children in mixed-status households, the DHS said. (UNI)
