The Department of Homeland Security released a new regulation on Monday that would severely limit the number of impoverished migrants eligible to enter and remain in the U.S. legally by requiring that visa applicants not be reliant on public services.

Acting U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Ken Cuccinelli on Monday defended a controversial Trump administration rule that would link an immigrant's ability to secure green cards to their use of certain public programs.

Cuccinelli told reporters at the White House that the "public charge" change promotes “the ideals of self-sufficiency and personal responsibility.”

The Department of Homeland Security officially published a change to what’s known as the “public charge” rule on Monday that would make it much harder to apply for a green card or earn a visa. The new policy, which is set to go into effect in mid-October, expands the definition of what would make an applicant likely to become a “public charge,” someone who the government has deemed would be dependent on it, thus rendering them ineligible for legal permanent residency status.