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In a new escalation of his rhetoric against immigration, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that he will eliminate all federal benefits and subsidies for non-citizens residing in the United States.
The measure, communicated in a message posted on his Truth Social network during Thanksgiving, is part of a broader plan of “reverse migration” that the president aims to use to reverse what he considers a “destructive invasion.”
“I will eliminate all federal benefits and subsidies for non-citizens of our country”, Trump asserted in his post, which has been interpreted by analysts as a declaration of war against any form of state assistance to migrants, regardless of their legal status.
A comprehensive offensive: Benefits, deportations, and denaturalizations
The speech by Trump raises a comprehensive offensive against not only irregular migration but also regular migration, with particular emphasis on populations coming from countries labeled as the "Third World."
In his words, migration has "undermined" the economic and social progress of the U.S., and therefore a radical retreat is necessary.
"I will permanently suspend immigration from all third world countries to allow the American system to fully recover [...] and I will expel anyone who is not a net asset to the United States or who is unable to love our country," he wrote.
Within that vision, federal subsidies constitute -according to the leader- an incentive that attracts individuals without real ties to the country.
Consequently, its elimination becomes a priority objective to "restore the functionality" of the American system.
The withdrawal of social benefits is compounded by the threat of denaturalization for established migrants who— in the words of the U.S. president—“undermine national tranquility,” as well as the deportation of “public charges,” individuals who receive public assistance or are deemed “incompatible with Western civilization.”
Subsidies Under Fire: Which Ones Are in the Crosshairs?
Although Trump did not specify which federal subsidies he was referring to, his administration has repeatedly criticized migrants' access to programs such as:
-Medicaid and other forms of public health insurance.
- Food assistance (SNAP).
- Child Tax Credit.
-Subsidized housing assistance.
- Educational scholarships and grants.
In their own words, the current system “benefits migrants at the expense of citizens.”
"A migrant earning $30,000 with a green card will receive approximately $50,000 in annual benefits for their family," he stated in another post.
Beyond the questioning of the veracity of these figures, the message is unequivocal: eliminate any kind of public assistance that reaches individuals not born in the U.S., even if they are legally in the country.
A speech that criminalizes social assistance
Trump links migration to multiple social ills: from the collapse of public services to crime. In his narrative, migrants' access to subsidies not only represents an expense but also an existential threat to the nation.
“This influx of refugees is the main cause of social dysfunction in the United States: failing schools, high crime rates, urban decay, overwhelmed hospitals, housing shortages, and significant deficits,” he listed.
Rhetoric does not distinguish between asylum seekers, refugees, permanent residents, or undocumented migrants. They are all portrayed as a burden on the system, and the stated goal is their removal as beneficiaries of any form of federal assistance.
The Afghan case as a catalyst
The hardening of the presidential stance coincides with a recent case that Trump has used to bolster his narrative. An Afghan citizen, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who entered through the humanitarian airbridge of 2021, opened fire on two members of the National Guard in Washington D.C., killing one soldier and injuring another.
"This is part of the horrific airlift from Afghanistan. Hundreds of thousands of people arrived in our country without any kind of control or verification," the president denounced, alongside an image of Afghans packed into a military aircraft.
Trump took the opportunity to reiterate his distrust of refugee and humanitarian asylum processes, using it as justification to further harden his immigration policy.
Cubans, Venezuelans, and a “blacklist” under review
In this crusade, your government has ordered a review of thousands of Green Cards granted to citizens from 19 countries, including Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, Somalia, Haiti, and Afghanistan.
The measure even encompasses cases of family reunification, asylum, and humanitarian parole, and may lead to the revocation of already granted residencies.
Simultaneously, the Department of Homeland Security is reviewing asylum cases approved under the previous administration, with special attention to "sensitive countries."
Trump's statements crystallize an ideology that views migration not as a human phenomenon, but as a threat to be eliminated.
The suspension of visas, mass deportation, denaturalization, and now the elimination of federal subsidies for non-citizens point to an unprecedented political horizon.
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