Home > For Everyone > Government > Immigration > 8 USC 1601 - Statements of national policy concerning welfare and immigration

Immigration

For this topic:

Go back to the topic homeTopic Home
Join the forum for this topicForum
Sign up for Email related to this topicEmail
RSS feed for this topicRSS
FeedbackFeedback

Search the U.S. Code

8 USC 1601 - Statements of national policy concerning welfare and immigration

U.S. Code > Title 8 > Chapter 14 > § 1601 - Statements of national policy concerning welfare and immigration

^{Current as of: February 2010}

^{Check for updates}

  The Congress makes the following statements concerning national
policy with respect to welfare and immigration:
    (1) Self-sufficiency has been a basic principle of United
  States immigration law since this country's earliest immigration
  statutes.
    (2) It continues to be the immigration policy of the United
  States that - 
      (A) aliens within the Nation's borders not depend on public
    resources to meet their needs, but rather rely on their own
    capabilities and the resources of their families, their
    sponsors, and private organizations, and
      (B) the availability of public benefits not constitute an
    incentive for immigration to the United States.

    (3) Despite the principle of self-sufficiency, aliens have been
  applying for and receiving public benefits from Federal, State,
  and local governments at increasing rates.
    (4) Current eligibility rules for public assistance and
  unenforceable financial support agreements have proved wholly
  incapable of assuring that individual aliens not burden the
  public benefits system.
    (5) It is a compelling government interest to enact new rules
  for eligibility and sponsorship agreements in order to assure
  that aliens be self-reliant in accordance with national
  immigration policy.
    (6) It is a compelling government interest to remove the
  incentive for illegal immigration provided by the availability of
  public benefits.
    (7) With respect to the State authority to make determinations
  concerning the eligibility of qualified aliens for public
  benefits in this chapter, a State that chooses to follow the
  Federal classification in determining the eligibility of such
  aliens for public assistance shall be considered to have chosen
  the least restrictive means available for achieving the
  compelling governmental interest of assuring that aliens be self-
  reliant in accordance with national immigration policy.

Legislative History

________________________________________________________________________