President Trump is reportedly toying with deporting immigrants on public assistance

(Image credit: Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

published 31 January 2017

Per draft executive orders obtained by The Washington Post, President Trump's administration may be looking to roll out more restrictions on immigrants planning to enter the U.S., as well as those already in the country:

The administration would be seeking to "deny admission to any alien who is likely to become a public charge" and develop standards for “determining” whether an immigrant can be deported after five years if that person receives a certain amount of public assistance, including Food Stamps, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and Medicaid.The second order, titled "Executive Order on Protecting American Jobs and Workers by Strengthening the Integrity of Foreign Worker Visa Programs" calls for "eliminating" the "jobs magnet" that is driving illegal immigration to the United States, according to a copy obtained by The Post. The order would rescind any work visa provisions for foreign nationals found not to be in "the national interest" or in violation of U.S. immigration laws. [The Washington Post]

Yet, the orders seem to fall in line with Trump's most hard-line pledges on immigration. One draft order argues "the unlawful employment of aliens has had a devastating impact on the wages and jobs of American workers," though economists generally agree that immigration is more beneficial than harmful to the economy. The orders also suggest that "households headed by aliens are much more likely than those headed by citizens to use federal means-tested public benefits," another claim The Washington Post noted is not supported by evidence.