On July 3^rd, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) posted receipt of a “public charge” rule from the Department of Justice (DOJ)-

While the text of the rule is not public, it is expected to be a companion rule similar to a Department of Homeland Security rule published for public comment in October 2018.

It is believed that the strict adherence to the public charge rule could greatly expand persons who could be deported for using public benefits, such as public welfare, food stamps or other social services without an ability to pay themselves or by their sponsors.

Current law allows deportation of immigrants that receive government social benefits within five years of U.S. arrival but the government has not made great use of the deportation method in recent years.