The Trump administration wants to punish legal immigrants who used ObamaCare

The Trump administration is preparing a proposal that would make it more difficult for legal immigrants to obtain a green card or become citizens if they have used public welfare programs, NBC News reported Tuesday.

The proposal would limit the path to citizenship or reduce the odds of obtaining permanent legal status for migrants who have ever used ObamaCare, children's public health insurance, food stamps, or other benefits. Experts say it would affect around 20 million immigrants, hitting low-income families the hardest.

White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller, who has been tasked with reducing the number of migrants who obtain permanent legal status, is leading the way on the proposal, reports NBC News. It would not require congressional approval. The details are still being finalized, but sources said a nearly-finished version of the plan has been sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget.

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In 2016, about 1.2 million immigrants became lawful permanent residents, and more than 750,000 became naturalized citizens. The Trump administration's new immigration policies have put the U.S. on track to decrease those numbers by 20 percent and 10 percent, respectively. A Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman said that the proposal "is clearly intended to protect the American taxpayer by ensuring that foreign nationals seeking to enter or remain in the U.S are self-sufficient." Read more at NBC News.