Trump weighs additional immigration restrictions to weed out any who may need public aid

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration is considering a plan to weed out would-be immigrants who are likely to require public assistance, as well as to deport — when possible — immigrants already living in the U.S. who depend on taxpayer help, according to a draft executive order.

A second draft order under consideration calls for a substantial shake-up in the system through which the United States administers immigrant and nonimmigrant visas, with the aim of tightly controlling who enters the country and who can enter the workforce, and reducing the social services burden on taxpayers.

The drafts are circulating among administration officials, and it is unclear whether President Donald Trump has decided to move forward with them or when he might sign them if he does decide to put them in place. The White House would not confirm or deny their authenticity.

If enacted, the executive orders would appear to significantly restrict all types of immigration and foreign travel to the U.S., expanding bars on entry to the country that Trump ordered last week with his temporary ban on refugees and people from seven Muslim-majority countries.

In 2014, Minnesota spent more than $31 million in food or cash assistance and $137 million in medical assistance for residents who came as refugees, including some federal dollars — about 2 percent of its overall tab for such programs. State data shows refugees who rely on these programs tend to become self-sufficient as fast or faster than U.S. born beneficiaries. Read more here: http://www.startribune.com/trump-weighs-additional-immigration-restrictions-to-weed-out-any-who-may-need-public-aid/412355953/