Administration Mulls Expanding Rule To Make It Easier To Deport Immigrants For Using Government Safety Net Programs

The Justice Department’s draft proposal is based on a similar plan by the Department of Homeland Security to significantly broaden the definition of what it means to be a public charge. According to federal policy, many permanent residents do not qualify for public benefits unless they have had a green card for five years, making it unlikely they could be targeted for deportation on the basis of “public charge” even under the draft rule. But dozens of states have looser rules. Meanwhile, former Chief of Staff John F. Kelly joins the board of a company that runs the Florida facility that's drawn controversy over the health of and quality of care for its detainees.

Reuters: Trump Administration Proposal Would Make It Easier To Deport Immigrants Who Use Public Benefits

The Trump administration is considering reversing long-standing policy to make it easier to deport U.S. legal permanent residents who have used public benefits, part of an effort to restrict immigration by low-income people. A Department of Justice draft regulation, seen by Reuters, dramatically expands the category of people who could be subject to deportation on the grounds that they use benefits. Currently, those legal permanent residents who are declared to be a "public charge," or primarily dependent on the government for subsistence, can be deported - but in practice, this is very rare. (Torbati, 5/3)

The Associated Press: Ex-Trump Aide On Board Of Company That Detains Migrant Kids

Former White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly has joined the board of the conglomerate that operates the largest facility for migrant children in the country, the company announced Friday. Caliburn International's CEO James Van Dusen confirmed the appointment of the former Trump cabinet member in a news release. (Gomez Licon, 5/3)

Reuters: Former Trump Staff Chief Kelly Joins Board Of Migrant Shelter Operator

Caliburn owns Comprehensive Health Services Inc, a private, for-profit company that runs a facility for unaccompanied migrant children in Homestead, Florida, some 35 miles south of Miami. The site became a heated topic of debate, as immigration advocates and Democratic legislators complained many traumatized children who fled violence and poverty in their home countries were held in the institutionalized setting for too long before being released to sponsoring families who could better care for them. (5/3)

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