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US-POLITICS-MIGRATION
Trump to block immigrants unable to pay for healthcare
WASHINGTON, Oct 5, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – The US will block the entry of
immigrants without health insurance or the ability to pay for medical bills,
President Donald Trump revealed Friday.
Consular officers will only be allowed to issue visas to prospective
immigrants who can prove they “will not impose a substantial burden” on the
US health care system, according to a proclamation authored by Trump.
“Lawful immigrants are about three times more likely than United States
citizens to lack health insurance,” Trump said in the proclamation.
“Immigrants who enter this country should not further saddle our
healthcare system, and subsequently American taxpayers, with higher costs.”
The measure will go into effect on November 3.
Trump made cracking down on immigration a key part of his 2016
presidential campaign platform.
He has pushed wide-ranging immigration law reforms, while tasking
authorities with carrying out mass deportations of people in the US
illegally.
Last week Washington also announced plans to dramatically lower its
ceiling on a decades-old refugee resettlement program by 40 percent.
BSS/AFP/FI/ 1253 hrs