'The American Dream isn't a private club with a cover charge': Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez trashes Trump's wealth test for immigrants

ANDREW KELLY/Reuters

• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted President Trump's proposed wealth test for green cards after the Supreme Court voted to allow it.
• "The American Dream isn't a private club with a cover charge - it's the possibility of remaking your future," the freshman lawmaker tweeted.
• Trump's government wants to withhold permanent legal status from immigrants if they even occasionally use public benefits.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed President Donald Trump's plan to deny green cards to immigrants who even occasionally use public benefits after the Supreme Court voted to allow it on Monday.

"This is shameful," the freshman lawmaker - who goes by "AOC" - commented on a tweet about the 5-4 decision. "America shouldn't have a wealth test for admission. It's a place where millions of people are descendants of immigrants who came w nothing & made a life."

"The American Dream isn't a private club with a cover charge - it's the possibility of remaking your future," she added.

Trump wants to tighten a rule allowing the government to deny permanent legal status to immigrants at risk of becoming "public charges." Previously, fewer than 1% of green-card applicants were disqualified on public-charge grounds, according to the New York Times.

The president intends to withhold green cards from those who use benefits such as food stamps, housing vouchers, and Medicaid in any 12 months within a 36-month period, the New York Times reported.

The program isn't a done deal, however. Opponents have filed challenges in courts across the country.

Ocasio-Cortez describes herself as a democratic socialist. She recently blasted billionaires for exploiting workers, and criticized Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg for arguing tuition-free public college should exclude the rich.

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