Exclusive: Trump Administration Will Require Prospective Immigrants to Post Six Figure Bonds to Prove They Won’t Be a ‘Burden’: Dominican Republic Gets Hit First

The Trump administration will require that some prospective immigrants post a bond of up to $250,000 in order to obtain a U.S. visa as part of a new pilot program aimed at ensuring those who seek a new home in America have the financial means to support themselves without taxpayer handouts, the Washington Free Beacon can reveal.

The pilot bond program, which will go into effect Tuesday morning in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security, will initially apply to certain immigrants from the Dominican Republic and could expand to other nations in the future. A State Department official confirmed to the Free Beacon that American consular offices in the Caribbean nation will begin requiring certain immigrants “who have been found ineligible on public charge grounds to post a bond with [U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services] in order to be issued an immigrant visa.” The “public charge” designation applies to those immigrants who were initially denied a visa over concerns they cannot financially support themselves and would rely on taxpayer-funded benefits.

Generally, consular offices will have discretion to set bond amounts and will assess them on a case-by-case basis that considers “the applicant’s particular circumstances.” In some of the individual cases being processed this week, the bonds are being assessed in the range of $100,000 or $250,000, according to information provided by the State Department.

{snip}

The program is being implemented under existing legal authorities granted by the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows certain visa applicants who would otherwise be ineligible to post a bond “as a way to tangibly demonstrate they have access to the funds needed to support themselves,” according to information provided by the State Department. The initiative comes as the Trump administration and its GOP allies attempt to stem the flow of taxpayer cash to new arrivals who entered the country with no financial resources and may seek to take advantage of government welfare programs.

{snip}

The State Department maintains that its bond program will offer a second chance to those immigrants who were already denied a visa due to their financial status. Those applicants “who have the resources to pay their own way” will now have “an additional option to demonstrate their self-sufficiency and qualify for a U.S. visa,” officials maintain.

{snip}