Stand by for frothing anger. The Trump Administration has proposed tightening immigration rules so that immigrants “should not” be a burden to the public. And, by public they mean costing you and me, the taxpayers money. Naturally, this is not sitting well with Democrats.

The Washington Times posted an article “Immigrants Must Prove They Aren’t Public Burden“. While that may seem like a perfectly reasonable request to most sentient beings, the article is also titled “Trump foes scrambling to derail ‘cruel’ rule requiring immigrants to show they aren’t public burden”. Cruel? Asking people who want to be on a path to citizenship to pay for their own lives. Cruel!

From the article:

Immigrant rights groups and other Trump opponents mounted a feverish last-minute push to try to derail the proposal. They submitted tens of thousands of comments calling the plan misguided and racist and warned that it would keep needy immigrants from visiting doctors and leave children hungry because their parents fear signing them up for free school lunches, lest they lose their chance at citizenship.

I checked Mexican Immigration Requirements and they ask for proof that you have enough income to support yourself. Kenya also requires that potential immigrants be self supporting and no mental defectives (That leaves me out). Finally, Denmark actually has income requirements per family member. To me, again this seems reasonable and rational.

More from the article:

The president’s backers said they expect Mr. Trump and his team to finalize the proposal. If anything, they said, it doesn’t go far enough to crack down on what appears to be rampant welfare use by noncitizens and their children.

“I think they’re going to implement them as is or with some tweaks. This is the kind of thing he was elected for,” said Steven A. Camarota, research director at the Center for Immigration Studies. “While there might be advocacy groups that object to that idea, the fact is most Americans think immigrants should be self-sufficient, so I think they’re on pretty strong ground.”

Truth is most Americans are right. Also, Americans are very, very generous. We would not let any family go hungry or homeless, regardless of race, religion or nation of origin. The problem is, again from the article:

The center released a study this month calculating that a staggering 63 percent of households led by noncitizens use at least one welfare program. The rate for households led by native-born Americans is just 35 percent.

But under guidelines established during the Clinton administration, the government looks at only a narrow set of cash assistance programs when determining whether an immigrant is a public charge.

And.

The Homeland Security Department’s proposal would add food stamps, public housing and long-term institutionalized care to the list of potential public charge grounds. Disaster relief, assistance to immigrants serving in the armed forces or their families, and emergency medical care would not count against an immigrant.

The changes would save the government nearly $20 billion over the next decade, the administration calculated, based on immigrants it says would shy away from claiming benefits for fear of poisoning their future status.

If I really, really wanted to move to another country, I would be ashamed to need assistance. I would rather be thought of as productive addition to that imaginary country. But, Democrats:

Sen. Kamala D. Harris and Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragan, both California Democrats, submitted official comments last week calling the proposal “extreme federal overreach.”

“By proposing a rule that so clearly attacks immigrant families and children, and which has already fueled fear and confusion in our communities, the department is taking another misguided step in advancing this administration’s cruel, anti-immigrant agenda,” they wrote.

Cruel, again. But, anti-immigrant? According to the Pew Research Center, immigration has increased since Donald Trump was inaugurated. Does that sound anti-immigrant to you?

California State Democrats went full bore angry:

Trump has poured more gasoline on his fire of hate???? Hyperbole, anyone?

Hey, California Dems! California has lost about one million taxpayers in the last decade. California is number one in the nation for highest state income taxes. California is number 3 in homeless population. And, let’s not forget about the major fires this year that require major duckets to cover the damages. Y’all ought to pull that plank out of your own eye before you start quacking about motes.

And, here are a couple words for the immigrant advocacy groups: Pony up. I would be willing to place a very small bet that these advocacy groups have huge budgets and big salaries. All talk and no action.

We are a generous nation that welcomes immigrants. All we ask is that they love our country and pay their own way. Seems reasonable, not cruel.

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