The Trump administration revived a public-charge rule effective Sept. 18, a policy change estimated to cut federal and state benefit payments by $13 billion. This rule grants immigration officers increased power to weigh an applicant's use of public benefits when deciding on green cards and visas. The Department of Homeland Security stated the rule "aligns with long-standing policy that aliens in the United States should be self-reliant and government benefits should not incentivize immigration." This framework, presented in an opinion piece, argues the United States is already $40 trillion in debt and that immigrants should support themselves.
State Tightens Grip
This policy revival marks a return to a rule from Trump's first term, systematically increasing the precarity of immigrant labor. The administration is simultaneously ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for many immigrants who have held it for years. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court cleared the way for 300,000 people from Haiti and other countries to lose this protection, forcing them into a more vulnerable position.
Haitians first received TPS 16 years ago, in 2010, following a devastating earthquake. Now, the administration offers free flights home and $2,600 to those who self-deport, a coercive measure designed to reduce the number of those seeking refuge and stability within the country. These actions serve to discipline the labor market, ensuring a supply of workers with fewer protections and less access to social support.
The Cost of 'Self-Reliance'
Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams last year pleaded for an additional $1 billion, stating the city had spent approximately $7 billion on migrant services in three fiscal years. This demonstrates how federal policies shift the burden of social reproduction onto local municipalities, while simultaneously denying federal support to those in need. The state's actions create a class of workers who are expected to contribute to the economy without drawing on collective resources, effectively subsidizing capital through their forced self-reliance.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced in August its 15th straight month of zero releases of migrants at the border, citing an "unprecedented trend of historically low border crossings." Border Patrol apprehensions along the southern border in July were 94% below the monthly average under Biden. These figures, presented by the state apparatus, highlight intensified enforcement and a narrative of control over who enters and remains within national borders, serving the interests of capital by regulating labor supply.
Resistance Within the System
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani heads a coalition of cities suing to block the public-charge rule. New York Attorney General Letitia James leads more than 20 states in a similar legal challenge. James stated at a recent press conference, "Cruelty is the point. Having a chilling effect on immigrants is the point. Letting individuals know that they are not welcome here is the point. Immigration animus is the point." These legal efforts represent attempts to mitigate the immediate harms of state policy, though they operate within the existing legal framework that ultimately upholds the system of capital accumulation. Despite the state's focus on immigration, only 7% of voters in a recent NBC News poll named border security and immigration as the country's top issue.