Feds to warn immigrants about welfare use

[Geee]

Washington Times

Officers handling legal immigration cases will now warn people that they are under an obligation to support themselves rather than end up on the public dole, under a new policy implemented Friday by acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli.

The warning will be issued both to the immigrant and his or her sponsor, who under the law has signed an agreement not to let the immigrant become a public charge.

In the new warning, UCSIS officers will “remind” sponsors that they can — and now will — be asked to pay back “every dollar” of welfare that the immigrants take.

“The president has made it a priority to ensure that every individual who seeks to come to the United States is self-sufficient, temporarily or permanently,” Mr. Cuccinelli said in a memo to agency employees.

It’s the first major public move by Mr. Cuccinelli, who became acting director this week.