WASHINGTON — While the issue of providing assistance to asylum-seekers is being debated in Maine, the Trump administration could be considering measures to limit how much immigrants can rely on assistance programs.
According to documents obtained by The Associated Press, President Donald Trump is considering an executive order that would target some immigrants for deportation if they become dependent on government assistance.
The Associated Press has obtained a copy of the draft order that calls for the identification and removal “as expeditiously as possible” of any legal immigrant who relies on certain kinds of public welfare benefits.
The order, if signed, would also focus the government’s efforts on blocking immigrants who are likely to become reliant on government benefits.
The White House did not comment.
Immigrants already must prove financial independence before they are allowed into the United States. The draft order signals the administration is considering not only cracking down on immigrants in the U.S. illegally, but also some living in the country legally.
Gov. Paul LePage suggests suing the federal government for the money the state spends on asylum-seekers.
In a WVOM-FM interview Tuesday, LePage claimed most Maine asylum-seekers come from other states after overstaying visas. LePage said it takes up to two years to process an application, and said it’s inappropriate for states to pay during that period.
LePage said he hopes the Trump administration will reduce that waiting period.
LePage is proposing a $6.8 billion two-year budget that would eliminate a state program providing up to two years of housing and food assistance to the needy, including asylum-seekers.
Maine reimburses municipalities for 70 percent of the program’s cost.
Federal law prohibits asylum-seekers from working for at least six months.
Despite the reimbursement, Lewiston Mayor Robert Macdonald said the city can’t handle the cost of providing that assistance. He said he met with LePage on Friday to discuss the issue.
“I told him, ‘We can’t keep doing this,'” Macdonald said. He said the issue is hitting Lewiston the hardest.
Figures from the city’s Social Services Department show General Assistance has been provided to 355 asylum-seekers in the first half of this fiscal year, from July 1, 2016, to Dec. 31, 2016. The number of asylum-seekers receiving General Assistance from Lewiston could nearly double this year compared to fiscal 2015-16.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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