The CNMI remains unaffected by a new U.S. Department of Homeland Security rule that might prevent legal immigrants from getting a green card or U.S. citizenship if they avail of \u201cpublic resources,\u201d according to Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan (Ind-MP) yesterday.<\/p>\n
According to Sablan, the new final rule, which was published Tuesday, affects only those who avail of Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, and Public Housing programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not covered,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is no one in the Northern Marianas who is not a citizen who gets these benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sablan further noted that the new regulation specifically applies to only these federal programs.<\/p>\n
DHS published the final rule in the Federal Register, limiting the admissibility of aliens who apply for adjustment of status or admissibility if they availed of a financial assistance program. <\/p>\n
Saipan Tribune obtained a copy of the newly-published 837-page rule yesterday. <\/p>\n
The new rule changes how U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services interprets and implements the public charge as ground of inadmissibility, defining \u201cpublic charge\u201d as an individual who avails of federal financial assistance programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Immigration and Nationality Act [INA] renders inadmissible and therefore ineligible for a visa; ineligible for admission; and ineligible for adjustment of status, any alien who, in the opinion of the DHS\u2026is likely to become a public charge,\u201d it stated in a statement.<\/p>\n
The decision to determine the admissibility or inadmissibility of an applicant dependst not only on the immigrant\u2019s probability to become a public charge, the statement said.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026The public charge statute provides that in making the inadmissibility determination, administering agencies must \u2018at a minimum consider the alien\u2019s age; health; family status; assets; resources; and financial status; and education and skills,\u2019\u201d it added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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