Trump Looks to Threat of Welfare Bills to Curb Immigration

President orders enforcement of decades-old reimbursement law
Trump seeks to focus on immigration ahead of 2020 campaign

President Donald Trump
Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg

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By Margaret Talev and Justin Sink

May 23, 2019 at 8:52 PM UTC

Updated on

May 23, 2019 at 10:08 PM UTC

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Donald Trump ordered the U.S. government to enforce a decades-old law that requires Americans who bring migrants into the country to take financial responsibility if they claim welfare benefits, the president’s latest attempt to curb immigration.

Trump directed his administration to spend the next 90 days developing rules for U.S. citizens to reimburse the government for each dollar of means-tested federal aid provided to immigrants they’re sponsoring.