The Department of Homeland Security announced back-to-back changes to immigration laws in their ongoing effort to push Black and Brown immigrants out of the U.S.
Late last week, DHS reinstated a policy from President Donald Trump’s first term that gives immigration officers the ability to deny citizenship and green cards to anyone they deem likely to rely on government assistance programs. The move effectively penalizes immigrants asking for help for essential basic needs such as food and housing and threatens their ability to remain permanently in the U.S.
The same day, DHS zeroed in on international students and scholars and announced four-year maximum term limits. Foreign students and scholars had previously been allowed to stay indefinitely, without regular government supervision.
Significance. Data from the Kaiser Family Foundation showed that Black and Latino immigrants faced the highest rate of financial challenges. Denying green cards to people immigration officers “think” will rely on government assistance programs is racial profiling.
The new restrictions on visas for international students and scholars cut off another pathway — the pursuit of higher education.
Overlooked angle. The new changes to immigration law were written vague to likely give immigration officers broad room to reject Black, Asian, and Latino individuals hoping to stay in the U.S.
The power structure. These changes to immigration laws are part of the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to curb pathways to immigration and citizenship in the U.S.
What experts say. These new laws will have a chilling impact on the number of immigrants using government assistance programs, which will cause spillover stress on the nation’s hospitals and nonprofits as those institutions seek to fill the gaps. The policy could also negatively impact the economy. International students help sustain a $43 billion export industry in the U.S., according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics. After graduation, international students often stay in the U.S. and play a vital role as sources of innovation, science, and engineering — fields that grow the economy.
