DHS to consider immigrants' use of Medicaid, welfare programs in green card decisions

The Trump administration is allowing immigration officers to factor in applicants' use of Medicaid, food stamps and housing assistance when deciding if they qualify for permanent legal status. 

The Department of Homeland Security is planning to rescind a Biden-era regulation that narrowed how officers use a long-standing "public charge" test, which gauges whether applicants are likely to rely on government support, CBS News reported. 

The change could potentially impact hundreds of thousands of immigrants seeking green cards from inside the U.S. every year and possibly deter immigrant families from tapping into taxpayer-funded social programs for their needs. 

Under the Biden administration, the DHS could only consider primarily cash welfare payments meant to cover basic living expenses and long-term institutional care provided by the federal government.