This archive report was first published on 5 October 2019.
On October 4, 2019, the Trump administration unveiled a new policy aimed at limiting legal immigration to the United States. The policy, which takes effect on November 3, 2019, will deny visas to immigrants who cannot prove they have health insurance or the financial resources to pay for medical costs.
According to a proclamation issued by President Trump, consular officers will be directed to bar immigrants seeking to live in the United States unless they can demonstrate that they will be covered by approved health insurance or have the financial resources to pay for reasonably foreseeable medical costs.
The administration's move is the latest in a series of efforts to limit the financial burdens of allowing immigrants into the United States. In August 2019, the administration issued a regulation that would allow officials to deny permanent legal status to immigrants who are poor.
Immigration advocates have criticized the new policy, arguing that it will unfairly target low-income immigrants and stifle legal immigration. 'This president is grasping for straws on how to reduce legal immigration,' said Elizabeth Jamae, an immigration lawyer at Pearl Law Group in San Francisco. 'These policies are not stifling illegal immigration. They are stifling legal immigration of workers who contribute to the economy.'
